Metal, ceramic, or ceramic-coated transaction card with window or window pattern and optional backlighting

A transaction card having opposite finished surfaces and a periphery, the transaction card comprising:

• a metal layer having opposite surfaces and at least two openings, each opening extending through one or both of the opposite finished surfaces, the metal layer having a visual appearance;
• a transponder module disposed in one of the at least two openings in the metal layer, the transponder module comprising a component in a transaction circuit configured to communicate wirelessly with a card reader that is configured to emit radio frequency (RF) waves having energy, the transaction circuit configured to receive an incoming RF signal from the card reader, to respond with an outgoing RF signal, and to power the transaction circuit by harvesting energy from the RF waves;
• a light emitting diode (LED) module disposed in another of the at least two openings in the metal layer and having a planar illuminated area visible from a finished surface of the transaction card, the LED module comprising:
• one or more LEDs configured to emit light and a light guide layer for distributing the light emitted by the one or more LEDs, the LED module comprising a component in an illumination circuit configured to harvest energy from the RF waves for powering the one or more LEDs;
• wherein the light guide layer is not visible from a finished, front surface of the card.