Can you imagine a world without credit cards? Until the 1950s, a world without the use of cash was simply inconceivable. Today an economic universe without plastic would be impractical. Whether it's for business or for leisure, the credit card is used to pay for goods and services from New York to Beijing.
It all started in 1949 when Frank McNamara scheduled a business dinner in a New York restaurant. Before he left for the dinner, Frank changed suits. When the waiter presented the check, Frank realized that he had left his wallet in the other suit. The embarrassing situation was solved, but that night Frank asked himself: "Why should people be limited to spending what they are carrying in cash, instead of being able to spend what they can afford?" A year later, Frank retured to the same restaurant in New York. When the check came, Frank handed the waiter a small cardboard card, a Diner's Club Card, and signed for the meal. This event is known in the credit card industry as the "First Supper." Soon the concept of "changing it" was picked up by merchants as an alternative form of payment to the use of cash. By 1952, theDiner's Club Card was accepted by thousands of businesses across the United States, and it became a status symbol for those who carried it.