PARTNER NEWS: Timex Group has officially launched a range of watches and watch straps that let the wearer make tokenized payments at any merchant equipped to accept Visa contactless payments.

The new Timex Pay collection includes a range of watches that each come with a contactless payment chip embedded into the strap. A selection of leather, fabric and silicone watch straps that can be used to add Timex Pay to an existing watch is also available, either direct from Timex or from Amazon.

Owners use a Timex Pay branded mobile app and a Timex Pay clip, both developed by Tappy Technologies, to add a tokenized version of an existing payment card to their new watch or strap. 

The service is currently available for Chase Visa debit and credit cardholders “with many more issuers planning to join in the future.”

“This is huge news for the wearable payments market,” Tappy CEO Wayne Leung told NFCW. “The launch of Timex Pay means that consumers in the US for the very first time can add their own payment card to their own choice of traditional timepiece.

“Timex Pay straps come in a range of styles, materials and widths and can be fitted to everything from the latest fashion watch to the most traditional vintage collectible, so that consumers can take advantage of wearable contactless payments whatever their style.”

“This is a really powerful feature,” Leung explained. “Adding a Timex Pay strap to a watch you already own means you can start making contactless payments without giving up your personal look.

“No batteries are required and setup is quick and simple. Consumers simply use the mobile app and the Timex Pay branded UPPU passive provisioning clip that ships with every watch and strap to push a tokenized version of their payment card to the contactless payments module in their new watch strap.” 

“We’re honoured to be launching with Chase, the largest card issuer in the US, and we’re expecting to go live with additional banks very soon.”

“Any payment card issuer that supports Visa VTS or Mastercard MDES tokenization can now request access to Timex Pay just by contacting Tappy,” chief product officer Prashanth Dappula adds. “Email [email protected] and we’ll be in touch.

“There’s no cost to get involved and you can be up and running in as little as 30 to 90 days.”

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