Tap to pay is taking off — Visa — “Globally, adoption continues to see strong growth with nearly half of all face-to-face Visa transactions occurring with a tap outside the US. In the last year, nearly 50 countries have seen a 10 point or greater increase in tap-to-pay penetration of all domestic face-to-face transactions.”
USA
Ticketmaster to roll out NFC ticketing for iPhones and Apple Watches ‘later this year’
Ticketmaster customers will be able to add contactless tickets to Apple Wallet later this year, enabling their tickets to be automatically selected via NFC when they hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near a ticket reader... More
Report highlights discrepancies between what technology users want and what they adopt
Despite greater than ever use of smart devices for banking and payments and a desire for the latest technologies, Europeans are some of the most cautious adopters, according to a survey of 15,000 consumers in Europe, America and Australia... More
Analysts: Contactless card rollout could push US mobile payment users back to plastic
Familiarity with mobile payments could help to drive adoption of contactless cards in the US but could in turn move those that have already adopted mobile payments back to physical methods of payment, according to a new issue of Auriemma Research’s Mobile Pay Tracker... More
Alltown lets drivers use their toll tag to pay for fuel from their car
PayByCar partners with P97 Networks to enable toll-tag based in-vehicle payments at Alltown retail fuel sites — P97 Networks — “By simply linking an E-ZPass transponder to a separate non-toll account on www.mypaybycar.com, the driver gains a convenient fuel purchase experience similar to the one of driving through an electronic toll lane… When a driver pulls into a forecourt, the transponder and vehicle ID are detected by RFID sensors installed at site entrances.
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
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
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
Boston Fed reports on contactless card and NFC payments adoption issues
The rollout of contactless cards in the US should have an overall positive influence on NFC mobile payments adoption in the US, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston — but both consumers and merchants have ongoing adoption issues that remain to be resolved... More
Uber adds public transport information to its London app
Uber users can now view real-time public transport information from Transport for London (TfL) — such as pricing, schedules and directions — in the Uber app across services including London Underground, buses and rail... More
KeyBank to roll out contactless cards in the US
KeyBank, one of the largest bank-based financial services companies in the US, has begun issuing contactless credit and debit cards to its customers... More
Sainsbury’s opens UK’s first checkout-free supermarket
Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has launched the UK’s first till-free grocery store, with the pilot being used to help develop the company’s SmartShop Scan, Pay & Go technology which allows shoppers to pay via their smartphone... More
PayPal to develop digital wallet for Uber
Uber is to extend its partnership with PayPal to explore future commercial payment collaborations, including the development of a digital wallet for the on-demand transport firm... More
Marshall University lets students add campus cards to iPhone and Apple Watch
Marshall ID cards now available on iPhone and Apple Watch — Marshall University — “By simply placing their iPhone or Apple Watch near a reader where physical student IDs are accepted, users can enter residence halls and libraries, access dining plans, purchase food, buy items in the university bookstore or in vending machines, print documents and more.”
Vending machine firms to use blockchain ID platform to automate sale of age-restricted items
Twelve vending machine providers with an installed base of more than one million vending machines have signed up for Civic Pay, a blockchain-based platform that combines identity and age verification, QR code mobile payments, loyalty and rewards... More
Apple to open up the iPhone’s NFC chip at WWDC?
Apple may expand the iPhone’s NFC tech to third-party developers during WWDC — TechSpot — “NFC is getting major improvements, including the ability for third-party developers to read any ISO 7816, FeliCa or MiFare tags. Currently, only tags formatted as NDEF can be read by third-party apps… Keep in mind, the news is from anonymous sources and is far from official.”
German central banker calls for European payments network
Europe needs to get off the sidelines — Deutsche Bundesbank — “Here in Europe, we need to prevent a situation from arising in which American and Chinese payment systems are all we have left to choose between. Highly successful firms from the United States and China are looking to carve out a huge chunk of the European market. Hence the desire to forge a payments solution with a clear-cut European ‘brand’.”
JCPenney pulls support for contactless payments
JCPenney explains why it dropped Apple Pay — Techcrunch — “A third-party credit card brand made the requirement for all merchants to actively support EMV contactless functionality effective April 13, retiring the legacy MSD contactless technology in place. Given the resources and lead time associated with meeting the new mandate, JCPenney chose to suspend all contactless payment options until a later date.”
Decathlon opens RFID-enabled store in the US
Sports retailer Decathlon has incorporated RFID tags into products at its first physical store in the US... More
Wells Fargo to add contactless functionality to US credit and debit cards
Wells Fargo accelerates customer checkout experience with new tap-to-pay contactless cards — Wells Fargo — “This week, new Wells Fargo consumer credit cardholders began receiving cards with the contactless feature when opening an account, and existing Wells Fargo consumer credit cardholders will receive a new contactless card when their current credit card expires. Consumer debit cards with the contactless feature will start to become available this summer.”