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The source material indicates the banks can issue certified credsticks up to their maximum limit, which is indicated by their band. Why?

from what I can tell:

  • All certified credsticks, regardless of band cost the same to be buyer.

  • Once commissioned the band provides no indicator as to the credit on the stick at any time (multiple transactions from the same stick are possible)

  • I've seen no indicator that it can be 'topped up' with more credit.

Is it just a prestige thing, or have I misunderstood something?

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2 Answers

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Credsticks in general act like debit cards and the account behind them can be refilled. Certified credsticks work the same way but without an associated identity. The obvious answer is that if someone performs a transfer of 500,000 nuyen off a credstick whose color is only rated up to 50,000 nuyen, they are doing haxx0r tricks to rip you off. You still have to verify the amount on the stick of course - like a gift card, they can be depleted, but at least you know what the 'face value' is. Consider it like a "$50 itunes gift card" - should be $50, might be depleted to less, certainly not over $50.

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up vote 3 down vote

I always thought that certified credsticks worked more like cash, with their face value indicated by their band color.

If their face value can change, the idea of "certifying" them has no meaning.

So if you bought a 500 nuyen suit and paid for it with a 1000 nuyen certified credstick, your "change" would come back either on a different credstick or as a credit to your regular (non-certified) account.

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THat makes them kind of pointless as a replacement for cash, then, since they'd be used in exactly the same way... unless you're suggesting that vendors could create their own certified credsticks with exactly the correct change on 'em - and if and sprawl-dwelling shopkeeper can do that, why not other people? – GMJoe Jan 16 '12 at 5:12
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it depends how you look at it. If I gave you a "certified" $1000 bill that you knew wasn't counterfeit for a $730 transaction, you could just give me back a /regular/ credstick with 730 on it, or credit the change back to my account. – Lynn Jan 16 '12 at 5:20
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I suppose you could look at it like that, but if that were the case I'd expect to see non-certified credsticks on the equipment list. – GMJoe Feb 14 '12 at 6:53
I've got a vague memory that one of the pieces of fiction in the 20th anniversary edition rulebook mentions someone 'tossing a cred' to a busker by performing an electronic transfer to a credstick, but - well, my memory isn't the most trustworthy of fellows, and I'm not certain that rulebook fiction should be considered a reliable source of setting cannon. I should revist this when I've got my rulebooks handy. – GMJoe Feb 14 '12 at 6:59

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