Trade Account Cards

At a trade counter, the account card tells the till which price list to use and whose account to charge. It has to scan first time, after a year or more in a van door pocket.

CP Cards prints trade account cards for builders’ merchants, plumbing and electrical wholesalers, timber yards, agricultural merchants and cash and carry businesses. Manufactured in England since 1992.

Built for your till

Tell us what your system reads and we print it: a Code 39 or Code 128 barcode, a QR code, or a magnetic stripe encoded with the account number. We encode the stripes for you, on HiCo stripes, which are more durable, or LoCo if your readers need it. The HiCo and LoCo guide explains the difference.

We can post a printed proof card, with its barcode or encoded stripe, so you can test it on your own till before the full run.

Account and user details

Each card can carry the account name, the account number and an authorised user’s name. Larger customers often want a card for every driver or site manager on the same account; print each user’s name with the shared account number and you can see who collected what.

Embossed account numbers give the card the look of a credit card and can be read by eye if a scanner is down.

New accounts every week

Merchants open accounts continuously, so it usually makes sense to print a stock of numbered cards and add names as accounts are approved. With our bureau personalisation service we hold your stock and personalise cards as you email the new account details; please allow 3 working days.

Security on account cards

An account card lets someone spend a customer’s credit. A signature panel lets counter staff compare the signature with the one on file, and a photoseal adds a face for high-value accounts. Asking for the card before releasing goods on account only works if the card scans quickly, which is another reason to test the proof card on your own till first.

Why printed plastic rather than a sticker on card

Account cards live in wallets, tool bags and van door pockets. A barcode sticker on a paper card peels and scuffs until the till cannot read it. On a printed PVC card the barcode is under the card surface, so it scans as well in year three as on the first day.

Content reviewed by the CP Cards team, September 2026.

Printed for merchants and wholesalers

Trade account cards are printed alongside the loyalty and membership cards we produce for retailers and suppliers across the UK. You approve a free photorealistic proof before anything is printed, and our design team can set up the artwork from your logo.

Trade Account Card FAQs

Can you encode magnetic stripes with our account numbers?

Yes. We encode HiCo or LoCo stripes from a start number or from a spreadsheet of account numbers.

Which barcode types can you print?

We print Code 39, Code 128 and EAN 5, plus QR codes. Ask your till provider which format it reads.

Can we issue cards for several users on one account?

Yes. Each card can carry the user name alongside the shared account number.

Can we test the cards on our till before the full run?

Yes. We can post a printed proof card, with its barcode or encoded stripe, so you can test it on your own system first.