In its early days, the Diners Club card took a hefty 7% cut of the tab from restaurants that accepted it.

ECONOMIST: Economics focus

Since Diners Club introduced the first universal credit card in 1950, an 8.5-by-5.5-cm piece of plastic has become for millions a modern symbol of identity and an indispensable tool of spending.

CNN: ASIANOW - Asiaweek

It is exactly 50 years since Diners Club introduced the world's first charge card.

ECONOMIST: Cash remains king