Penn State to roll out contactless mobile student IDs

Penn State contactless mobile student ID
CONTACTLESS: Students will be able to store and use the new Penn State ID+ card on their mobile devices

Students at Penn State University in the US will soon be able to gain access to halls of residence and other campus facilities and to make contactless on-campus purchases using a digital student identity card stored on their Apple or Android NFC smartphone or smartwatch.

They will be able to add, store and use the new mobile Penn State ID+ card via campus card solution provider Transact’s eAccounts payments and ID app after uploading a selfie to their account.

Penn State is also to issue an upgraded physical student ID+ card to allow access to specific buildings and resources that do not yet support mobile-only transactions.

“The university is installing contactless and tap-to-pay transaction technology through a phased approach at all 24 campuses,” Penn State says.

“Upgrades to card readers will include exterior residence hall doors, interior residence hall doors, commons buildings, LionCash and meal plans and on-campus laundry washers and dryers.

“Integrating the technology into other resources is in development.”

Penn State will begin rolling out the mobile ID+ card in January 2023, the university says.

Transact launched NFC-enabled mobile student credentials for iPhone and Apple Watch users in the US in 2018 and rolled out support for Android devices in January 2020.

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