Chip or smart card reader

In combination, a contact element and a contact element support for a smart card reader;

• the contact element support comprising:
• a card support surface;
• a plurality of chambers formed in said contact element support in the area of said card support surface;
• the contact element comprising a snap-in tongue to cooperate with said contact element support in an inserted operative position;
• the contact element support including a snap-in opening such that shortly before reaching the inserted operative position the snap-in tongue snaps into the snap-in opening of the contact element support so that the contact element is fixedly held in its inserted operative position, and
• wherein the contact elements are insertable into said chambers in a direction parallel to the card support surface;
• wherein said contact clement comprises widened portions adapted to be inserted into slots of said contact element support;
• and
• wherein said slots are aligned with the direction parallel to the card support surface and are open at one end and closed at an opposite end by a second abutment surface that abuts the contact element when the contact element is in the inserted operative position.