What does card production involve?

Card production primarily involves the physical creation and personalization of payment cards, which includes specific processes such as encoding the card with magnetic stripe data, embossing information like the card number and cardholder's name, and finally, mailing the completed cards to customers. This production process ensures that each card is properly formatted to meet industry standards and is ready for use in transactions.

The other options relate to different functions within the financial and card services ecosystem but do not pertain to the actual production of the card itself. For example, compiling credit scores is part of the underwriting process for evaluating potential cardholders, while creating marketing materials focuses on promoting the card rather than its production. Tracking transactions is important for ongoing risk management and customer relationship management but occurs after the card has been produced and issued.