You Can Now Use Credit Cards to Invest on StartEngine

Swipe / Insert / Fund the Future

If we’re being honest, there have been only three revolutionary moments in U.S. credit card history:

1969 — The Advent of the Magnetic Stripe

Magnetic tape had been around since the turn of the century, primarily for audio recording, but hadn’t been used commercially until 1969. It was then that Forrest Perry, an engineer at IBM, discovered the potential of tracking credit by adhering a magnetic stripe to a small card.

Fun(?) Fact: The magnetic stripe was first used to track passengers in the London Tube and onboard California’s BART.

2015 — The Chip Arrives, Drives Everyone Insane

It was a mere two years ago when U.S. security officials instituted a “liability shift” from the card swipe to the ol’ insert-and-wait. Ah 2015. What a simple time. The system, known as EMV (which somehow stands for “Europay, Mastercard, and Visa”), was intended to make transactions more secure, and successfully did so in other countries. However, U.S. implementation still maintained a process based on a signature rather than a PIN number, which some analysts argue stifles the security benefits.

Poor chip. We may never understand you.

Fun(?) Fact: In 2015, CVS was just one of many companies who risked illegally shutting down their credit card chip systems because the complaints from customers were even more of a threat to their businesses.

2017 — StartEngine Accepts Investments on Credit and Debit!

That’s right! Now both accredited and non-accredited investors can fund startup companies from the plastic in their wallets. We heard from so many investors that the process would be much easier if they were able to invest on a credit or debit card. We revised our system to accommodate.

To invest on a credit card, simply browse campaigns on StartEngine, find one you want to invest in, click “Invest,” click “Payment Method,” and choose “Credit Card.” Not all campaigns accept cards right now, but you can keep checking in on your favorite companies to see when they do.

For more information about credit card payments, visit the StartEngine Help Section.