The short answer
A metal credit card is a payment card with a metal core or body instead of standard PVC plastic. Banks and card networks issue these as premium products. Separately, there is a fast-growing category of custom engraved solid-metal cards — personal keepsakes, gifts, and metal business cards that look and feel like a premium metal card but are not connected to any bank account or payment network. Buying or making a personalized metal keepsake card is perfectly legal. What is not legal is counterfeiting a real bank card or cloning someone else's account information.
What is a metal credit card?
A metal credit card is a functioning payment card built around a metal layer. Issuers use metals and alloys to give the card extra weight and a distinct sound and feel, which the industry markets as a premium signal. According to a 2019 study published by the U.S. Federal Reserve, materials and design are part of how issuers differentiate premium card products and drive customer engagement (see the Federal Reserve Payments Study, https://www.federalreserve.gov/paymentsystems/fr-payments-study.htm). The card still works exactly like a plastic one: it carries an EMV chip, a magnetic stripe, and usually contactless capability, and it is linked to a real credit account at a bank.
What is a custom engraved metal keepsake card?
A custom engraved metal keepsake card is a solid-metal card personalized with names, dates, artwork, or a message — made as a gift, memento, or branded business card, not as a payment instrument. It has no bank account behind it, no live EMV chip tied to credit, and it cannot charge money. People order them because they want the look, heft, and permanence of metal applied to something meaningful: a wedding date, a tribute, a logo, or a favorite quote. At CLNK we make these as solid-metal pieces you can personalize in our in-house designer, or choose from ready-made designs.
Materials: size, metal, and the CR80 standard
Most metal cards — both bank-issued and keepsake — follow the CR80 standard, the same dimensions as a standard credit card: roughly 85.6 mm x 53.98 mm (about 3.37 x 2.13 inches) with rounded corners, as defined by the ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 specification (https://www.iso.org/standard/70483.html). A keepsake card is typically a single solid piece of metal, which is what gives it the weight and rigidity people associate with a premium card. Engraving cuts the design directly into the metal so it does not rub off the way printed plastic can.
Why do people get metal cards?
People choose metal for three reasons: feel, durability, and meaning. Metal carries weight and a cool, smooth surface that plastic cannot match. It resists bending, cracking, and fading, so an engraved keepsake can last for decades. And because each card can be personalized, a metal card becomes a way to mark a person, a milestone, or a brand in a material that feels permanent. For gifting, that permanence is the whole point: it is an object meant to be kept.
Are custom metal cards legal?
Yes — making and owning a personalized metal keepsake card is legal. It is your own artwork or message on your own object. What is illegal is fraud: copying a real bank card, encoding someone else's account data, or trying to pass a keepsake off as a genuine payment card. A legitimate keepsake card is sold and described as a decorative or commemorative item, never as a working payment card. CLNK keepsake cards are exactly that — engraved metal mementos and business cards, with no payment function.
Frequently asked questions
Can a custom metal keepsake card make payments?
No. A CLNK engraved metal card is a keepsake or business card. It is not linked to any bank account and has no payment function.
What size are these cards?
They follow the CR80 / ISO 7810 ID-1 standard — the same footprint as a standard credit card, about 85.6 mm x 53.98 mm.
Will the engraving wear off?
Engraving is cut into the solid metal rather than printed on top, so it holds up far better than printed plastic over time.
Can I put my own design on it?
Yes. You can personalize one in our in-house designer or start from a ready-made design.