Apple Card’s colorful packaging revealed ahead of launch — Cult of Mac — “The photos of Apple Card were published by leaker Benjamin Geskin, who claims that Apple employees are now getting their hands on testing units… To activate the Card, customers simply unlock their iPhone and then hold it against an NFC tag that’s hidden inside the packaging. This adds the Card to the Wallet app and lets you use it right away.”
Archive for May 2019
Itaú Unibanco unveils low cost instant QR payments service in Brazil
Brazil’s Itau Unibanco to launch new payments app using QR code — Reuters — “Merchants using Iti will pay a fee of 1% per transaction and will receive payments instantly… The app also does not require merchants to buy or rent card reader machines… Itaú is also considering offering investments, loans and insurance products through the new app.”
India to mandate QR mobile payments in stores?
QR code option may be must for shops — The Times of India — “The government is looking to mandate a QR code-based payment option using UPI at all shops. The measure is intended to promote digital payments as the preferred option.”
Apple Pay to go live in Hungary and Luxembourg?
Apple Pay nearing launch in Hungary and Luxembourg — MacRumors — “MacRumors has spotted the usual server-side changes that Apple makes shortly before expanding Apple Pay to new regions — in this case, Hungary and Luxembourg. The service could launch in both countries within days.”
Google adds support for in-store cash payments for apps
Google to allow users to pay for Android apps using cash — Techcrunch — “Instead of charging an attached credit card, for instance, the user can instead opt to receive a payment code which they can use to pay for their purchase using cash at a nearby store. Once at the store, the user shows the payment code to the cashier and pays. Within 10 minutes after completing the transaction, the user will receive their purchase and an email with their proof of payment.”
Google to drop support for Android Beam NFC P2P transfers
Android Q won’t have Android Beam — Techradar — “Android Beam, the NFC sharing method where you put two phones back to back to transfer photos, videos, and other files, is nowhere to be found in the ongoing Android Q beta… At Google IO, we found out that it’s not coming back, either, according to the reps we talked to who are working on Android updates.”
Belfast to introduce digital currency that lets residents earn rewards to spend in local shops
Belfast City Council has partnered with Israel-based Colu for the launch of Belfast Coin, a city-wide rewards and payment platform that enables participants to earn rewards for taking part in ‘good citizen’ activities such as shopping at local businesses, volunteering and recycling... More
Octopus equips Hong Kong taxi drivers with NFC payments
Transit card issuer Octopus Cards Limited (OCL) has partnered with Hong Kong Taxi Council (HKTC) to provide local taxi drivers with the ability to use their NFC phone to accept payments for cab rides from Octopus card users... More
Apple Pay goes live in Iceland
Apple Pay launches in Iceland with support from Arion Banki and Landsbankinn — AppleInsider — “The two banks announced support for Apple Pay on Wednesday via their official websites and Twitter. Available straight away, the added support now means customers that have accounts with either of the banks are able to add their card to the Wallet app, and use it to make contactless payments using Apple Pay for the iPhone and the Apple Watch.”
Zola hails success of NFC tags in NYC pop-up store
US wedding planning and list specialist Zola says using NFC in its bricks and mortar pop-up store in New York City has helped to bring the showroom to life and been well received by its customers who use it to build their wedding gift lists... More
Samsung launches TV which uses NFC to mirror vertical content of a phone
Samsung has unveiled a vertical TV which works as a standard TV in horizontal mode but as a mirror of a user’s phone when in vertical mode, thanks to NFC functionality... More
Apple Pay boss reveals US merchants’ plans to use NFC tags for payments and loyalty sign-up
Dairy Queen, Bonobos, Panera Bread, Yogurtland, Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, Dave & Buster’s, Caribou Coffee plus Bird and PayByPhone are all working on projects that use Apple’s Core NFC tag reading capabilities to make it easier for consumers to sign up for their services, Apple Pay boss Jennifer Bailey has revealed... More
Contactless diamond bracelet lets owners spend up to £1m
Swiss FinTech brand Armillion has unveiled the ultimate in wearable technology: a contactless payment bracelet that’s decorated with 252 cut diamonds, costs more than £60,000 (US$78,362) and can be used for purchases of up to £1m (US$1.3m)... More
Reliance General uses NFC tags to push last-minute travel insurance purchases
Insurance company Reliance General Insurance is using NFC tags on screens at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport to enable travellers to quickly and easily make a last-minute travel insurance purchase... More
Edenred pilots biometric cards for state benefit payments
Mastercard and Edenred Bank announce first biometric card trial in Mexico — Mastercard — “Mastercard and Edenred today announced the first regional test of biometric card technology in Mexico. The effort, focused on state benefits programmes, features an embedded fingerprint sensor that provides an additional layer of security to conveniently verify the cardholder’s identity for in-store purchases.”
Apple to expand Express Transit payments to open loop cards?
iOS 12.3 to bring EMV Express Transit support to Apple Pay — Tap Down Under — “New strings discovered within the pass.json files of Apple Pay card files make mention of new ‘Transit Network Identifiers’ options, as well as new passUpgrades/open loop options.”
Uber launches in-app transit ticketing service in Denver
Denver in the US has become the first city in the world where travellers can use the Uber mobile app to buy transit tickets and then use their phone to ride rail and bus services... More
Eight in ten consumers now use mobile payments in South Korea
Convenience and not having to carry physical cash or cards are the two primary reasons behind the mass adoption of mobile payments in South Korea, where a new poll has found that 79.1% of consumers have used a mobile payments service at least once in the past six months... More
Facebook to launch WhatsApp mobile payments ‘in a number of other countries’ this year
Despite still being only in a test phase in India, mobile payments via Facebook’s WhatsApp instant messaging platform will launch in more markets this year, according to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg... More
Apple Pay to launch in the Netherlands ‘soon’
ING brings Apple Pay to the Netherlands — ING (translation) — “ING will soon be bringing Apple Pay to the Netherlands… More information about the introduction of Apple Pay in the Netherlands will be announced by ING shortly.”