Method of packaging financial transaction instruments, particularly stored value cards

A method of packaging financial transaction instruments performed by an apparatus for preparing and joining packaging blanks and cards, the method comprising the following steps:

• a) a step of preparing a batch of cards in a dispenser, wherein each card has a first piece of machine readable information, and wherein the cards in the batch are in a first order;
• b) a step of preparing a batch of packaging blanks, wherein a recording device provides each packaging blank with a second piece of machine readable information;
• c) a step wherein another recording device provides each packaging blank with a third piece of machine readable information which is recorded onto a magnetic stripe carried by said packaging blank such that the third piece of information is destroyed upon opening the packaging blank,
• the third piece of information being at least part of an activation code of a corresponding card,
• wherein the packaging blanks are ordered in a second order, such that when a first packaging blank is at an ordinal position preceding an ordinal position of a second packaging blank in said second order, a first card corresponding to the first packaging blank is at an ordinal position preceding an ordinal position of a second card corresponding to the second packaging blank in the first order;
• d) a step of picking, by way of a card picking device, a card from a first ordinal position in the batch of prepared cards;
• e) a step of picking, by way of a packaging blank picking device, a packaging blank from a position, corresponding to said first ordinal position, in the batch of prepared packaging blanks;
• f) a step of reading via a card reader the first piece of information from the card, and the second piece of information from the packaging blank, the second piece of information being in the form of a bar code that identifies the card for which the packaging blank is prepared;
• g) a step of verifying via a controller device a matching condition between the first piece of information and the second piece of information to check that the card corresponds to the packaging blank;
• and
• h) a step of enclosing the picked card in the picked packaging blank via a joining device if and only if said matching condition is verified,
• wherein the package blank is folded before step c, and opened before step h, and
• wherein the third piece of information is not viewable after the packaging blank has been folded.