Rechargeable prepaid memory card with both unit and page counters

An electronic memory card for counting units, said memory card being adapted to count up to a total of N.times.P units, where N and P are integers, comprising

• a memory zone with an array of P electrically programmable memory cells each of which has two possible states which are respectively a non-programmed state and a programmed state, wherein a programming step of one memory cell from the non-programmed state to the programmed state represents a counting of one unit;
• means for successively programming the P cells;
• a page counter for counting groups of P units, each group of P units being referred to as a page of units;
• an incrementation circuit for incrementing the page counter by one unit when all the P cells have been successively programmed;
• erasing means for re-setting the P cells to said non-programmed state after they have been successively programmed;
• a credit counter, having a maximum count to a variable integer Z which at most is equal to N, and wherein Z represents an available credit proportional to units and a number of pages of P units;
• a comparator connected to the page counter and the credit counter for comparing the contents of said counters and for emitting a no-more-credit signal when the content of the page counter corresponds to Z;
• and
• the credit counter having a connection means for it to be incremented from outside the memory card.