“A card that grants the bearer access to special shops.” —In-game description, Shin Monshō
The Member Card is a card that recurs across the Fire Emblem series. The Member Card is key to gaining access to Secret Shops that are stocked with collections of rare wares that cannot be purchased in standard Armories and Vendors. Such wares include weapons imbued with powerful effects, Promotional Items, and Stat boosters.
Typically, the Member Card is held by a unit that the player can either kill or recruit. In The Binding Blade, for one, the Member Card is held by Hugh, a recruitable Mage who starts out as an enemy unit in Chapter 16.
In the localised versions of ShadowDragon, the Member Card has been renamed to the VIP Card.
Of note is the fact that the chapter during which the Member Card is obtained usually features a
Secret Shop that can be accessed when it is held over the relevant tile.