Visa unveiled an enhancement to its Visa Checkout service which enables users to mimic the swipe from traditional physical transactions.

Shoppers will be able to complete an online purchase by sliding a virtual image of their credit, debit or prepaid card across the screen of a smartphone, tablet or laptop.

Swiping of cards is increasingly outmoded, replaced around the world by chip-and-PIN transactions and, increasingly, contactless payments. But Visa clearly believes the familiar motion might make online purchases feel more familiar, possibly appealing to an older demographic.

Visa Checkout enables users to store their card details so they can complete a transaction without having to input their details every time.

With the enhancement, users see a picture of their card on the Visa Checkout button on a website, swipe to the right and enter a password to authenticate a transaction.

The updated button is now available globally for merchants selling digital goods and services, such as music, movies and airline tickets, as well as physical goods that users purchase online but collect in store.

Visa will extend the interactive button to Visa Checkout merchants who ship physical goods in coming months, without explaining the different timeline.