The credit card was the successor of a variety of merchant credit schemes. It was first used in the 1920s, in the United States, specifically to sell fuel to a growing number of automobile owners. In 1938 several companies started to accept each other's cards.

The concept of paying merchants using a card was invented in 1950 by Frank X. McNamara in order to consolidate multiple cards. The Diners Club produced the first charge card, which is similar but required the entire bill to be paid with each statement; it was followed shortly thereafter by American Express.

Sample for a fictional cheque in the United Kingdom. The cheque is crossed (with ACCOUNT PAYEE written vertically in the middle of the cheque), which means that it can only be paid into a bank account, not to cash. Cheques issued in other Commonwealth countries are similar.

One dollar chips from various Las Vegas casinos.

Casino tokens are small colored metal or plastic discs used in gambling establishments in lieu of currency or coins.

Harry Truman's poker chips