A gift card is a restricted monetary equivalent or scrip that issued by retailers or banks to be used as an alternative to a non-monetary gift. Gift cards have become increasingly popular as they relieve the donor of selecting a specific gift. The recipient of the gift card can use it at his or her discretion within the restrictions set by the issuing agency. A gift card may resemble a credit card or display a specific theme on a plastic card the size of a credit card. The card identified by a specific number or code, not usually with an individual name, and thus be used by anybody. They backed by an on-line electronic system for authorization. Some gift cards reloaded by payment and can be used thus multiple times. Cards may have a barcode or magnetic strip, which read by an electronic credit card machine. Many cards have no value until they sold, at which time the cashier enters the amount, which the customer wishes to put on the card. This amount is rarely stored on the card but noted in the store's database, which cross-linked to the card ID. Gift cards thus are generally not stored-value cards as used in many public transport systems or library photocopiers, where a simplified system (with no network) stores the value only on the card itself. To thwart counterfeiting, the data encrypted. The magnetic strip often placed differently than on credit cards, so they read or written with standard equipment. Other gift cards may have a set value and need to activate by calling a specific number.