A module (10) for applying a magnetic stripe character to a plastic card (25). A tiltable carriage (30) moves the card along a transfer path past magnetic code applying apparatus (78) when tilted in a first position. When the carriage is tilted into a second position, it returns along the transfer path to engage a further card while the first card is removed from the card transfer path by pinch rollers (26, 28) driven by a unidirectional clutch. Defective cards are removed from the card transfer path by a tiltable plate (82) which opens a slot in the card transfer path to allow them to fall through the base plate (18).