The invention relates to the dispensing of vouchers e.g. trading stamps and the like for use in ^' retailing.

It is known to provide trading stamps to a customer at a store in return for purchases made by the customer at that store, the amount of stamps being given in proportion to the amount of money spent. The stamps may then be collected by the purchaser and redeemed at a later date for money or moneysworth. Such stamps are used as a means of building up the loyalty of a customer.

However, it can be awkward and time-consuming to collect and stick the stamps on to cards and books, and the supply of such stamps is open to abuse and fraud.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided apparatus to be located at a retail outlet, preferably adjacent a checkout, the apparatus comprising a housing having a slot to receive a card token, the housing containing reader/writer means in the path of the card token in the slot to read/write on to a card token received in the apparatus a credit or moneysworth in proportion to the amount of money spent by a customer at that retail outlet, the card token having means thereon to record the

credits received, the apparatus also being.arranged selectively to debit that card token in exchange for moneysworth or goods or services, once sufficient credit has been recorded.

Preferably the apparatus includes a laser source and the token is adapted to be read and written upon by optical, e.g. laser means. Magnetic tokens may also be used.

In an example, a retail outlet such as a petrol company issues, with or without payment, tokens in card form to drivers. Each card is encoded with an identification number peculiar to the card holder e.g. a driver, whose name and address are stored on a computer. The driver visits a petrol station owned by the petrol company and, having purchased petrol, the driver or the checkout operator inserts the driver's card into apparatus of the invention a acent the checkout which writes thereon a ^~ number or value of credits in proportion to the amount of petrol purchased. This is repeated on subsequent future visits to other petrol stations owned by the petrol company until the driver has collected a large number of credits. The card may then be inserted into the apparatus and debited in exchange, for example, for petrol or other goods or services.

The use of such a card binds the loyalty of the driver to a particular petrol company, and the driver is spared the tedium of sticking stamps on to cards and books. The operator is saved the

administrative work in checking stamps.

Because each card is particular to each customer, it is easy for the operator to monitor the rate of use of each card and spot cases of fraudulent use. The information that may be generated about the buying habits of the customer is also useful for market research purposes.

In another embodiment the apparatus may be connected to a centralised computer, and the customer may also use the card in the manner of a charge or credit card to pay for his purchases.

In order that the invention may be well understood it will now be described with reference to the following example.

A card reader/writer unit of known type e.g. available from Leisure Card Ltd., is mounted adjacent the cash till at a petrol station. The unit comprises a housing having a card receiving slot, a read/write device being present adjacent the path of the card into the slot. Drivers are each allocated a card with a unigue number. When the driver buys petrol to the value of say £10.00, the till operator inserts the driver's card into the reader/writer and adds a credit of £10.00. The process is repeated. When the driver wishes to buy an item (other than petrol), the credits on a card of the invention are used towards that purchase either to the value of the item or as a discount

e.g. a £200.00 credit on the card will give the driver a 10% discount. When the purchase has been made an operator deducts the appropriate number of credits. Alternatively the card which has the maximum number of credits may be surrendered. Cards may be reused or destroyed, according to choice.

The card may take the form of a rectangular planar card, like a credit card or cash card and may carry advertising or like matter. The card may be adapted to display the total number of credits in a way that the information can be read only by the card reader or may be readable visually. The card may carry the name and/or signature and/or photograph of the authorised user.

The housing may be a stand alone unit located adjacent the checkout at a petrol station or at another retail outlet where its value is used, or it may be incorporated in other apparatus e.g. an electronic point of sale till. The latter arrangement is advantageous in that adjustments to the credits can then be made automatically from a remote computer.