Last year, 593,000 ISIC student cards were issued in Czechia, representing a year-on-year increase of more than 20,000. ISIC student cards exist in 130 countries worldwide, but none issue as many as Czechia. France ranks second after the Czech Republic. In Czechia, the cards are managed by GTS Alive. The company currently collaborates with 1,525 Czech schools to issue the cards, specifically 45 universities, 900 secondary schools, and 580 elementary schools. This number has increased by 206 schools compared to the previous year. The biggest growth is now among elementary schools, which only began using ISIC cards for their pupils in the past five years. In contrast, all Czech public universities are already involved—this is where the cards were originally introduced, and now 85 percent of university students hold an ISIC card. The most recent to join was the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň.
“ISIC cards came to Czechia much later than to other countries, only in the 1990s, yet they are now very well known and widely used here. The main reason is that in Czechia, they are used as a student identification card, not just as a discount or travel card, as is the case in many other places,” said Radek Schich, director of GTS Alive.
“Today’s students use the cards every day as transport passes, for entering school via chip identification systems, or when ordering lunch in the cafeteria. That’s why schools are so interested in ISIC cards for their pupils and students. Only after that come the mentioned discounts with hundreds of our partners or the use of the cards when traveling abroad,” added Radek Schich.
In addition to ISIC student cards, GTS Alive also issues and manages ITIC teacher cards. In 2022, 25,000 of these were issued, representing a year-on-year increase of 25 percent.
GTS Alive is part of the multinational GTS Alive Group, headquartered in Prague, with branches in seventeen countries across four continents. In the Czech Republic, the cards are currently used far more extensively than in other countries within the group. The number of commercial partners and overall awareness of ISIC and ITIC cards are also significantly higher in Czechia.
Many students use the ISIC card not only for public transport, school access, and other functions, but also for discounts with various retailers and service providers. The most popular discounts have long been in fast food chains, bookstores, electronics e-shops, and with mobile operators. For this year, GTS Alive is preparing its first major partner from the grocery segment, which is also expected to be highly popular among students.
GTS Alive also helps schools implement access and attendance chip systems that work with the ISIC card. More than 100 schools in Czechia are now using this system.
GTS Alive's performance in Czechia was not affected by COVID, and the company continues to grow. In 2022, for example, its turnover increased by 28 percent year-on-year. In the future, the company plans to continue with digitalization and further improvements to the mobile app for cardholders. The digital version of ISIC cards on mobile phones will gradually play an increasingly important role compared to physical plastic cards. GTS Alive also plans to launch the Alive Alumni project, a kind of extension of the ISIC card intended for universities and their graduates.
Notes for editors:
GTS Alive s.r.o. in the Czech Republic issues and manages ISIC student cards and ISIC Scholar pupil cards, ITIC teacher cards, and, to a lesser extent, other cards. The company was founded in August 2000. Its predecessor in the Czech Republic was GTS International. GTS Alive s.r.o. is part of the international GTS Alive Group, headquartered in Prague, with branches in seventeen countries on four continents.
GTS Alive, through the ISIC PORT chip identification system, also provides many elementary and secondary schools with secure access to their buildings and an electronic attendance system. The company also facilitates travel or accident insurance for students.
For more information, contact:
Jan Šimral, media representative of GTS Alive
Tel.: +420 737 944 370
E-mail: info@jansimral.com
