Facebook has begun piloting a service that allows users to buy concert tickets through the social network’s event pages using a Buy Tickets button... More
USA
Apple adds 40 US banks to Apple Pay
Apple has added another 40 banks to its list of Apple Pay supporting financial institutions in the US, bringing the total close to 800... More
Apple Pay transactions decline on Black Friday
Only 2.7% of US shoppers with Apple Pay used the service on Black Friday to make a purchase in a store equipped to accept the mobile payment technology — representing a decrease from 4.9% last year, research from InfoScout reveals. Just 2% of Android owners used their device to make a mobile payment for eligible transactions during the day. More
NFC Forum pushes for NFC at the point of sale
A six-page white paper that explores whether US retailers are prepared to make the most of the shift to EMV and mobile payments is now available to download from the NFC World+ Knowledge Centre... More
JCPenney piloting store cards on Apple Pay
Customers of US department store chain JCPenney in Texas are piloting the ability to add their store cards to Apple Pay for in-store use... More
Fashion mag drives 500,000 store visits with beacon campaign
Women’s fashion magazine Elle has seen more than half a million in-store visits and a greater than 12% engagement rate result from its BLE beacon based ‘Shop Now... More
One in five US consumers have used an EMV card
21% of US consumers have now used an EMV card, with the highest adoption rates among 25-34 year olds (25.3%), research from Harbortouch shows... More
Swatch confirms payment watch launch in US, Switzerland and Brazil
Swiss luxury watchmaker Swatch has confirmed that it has signed an agreement with Visa and Visa Europe to enable eligible cardholders in the US, Switzerland and Brazil to tap and pay with the Swatch Bellamy watch. More
US Bank to donate $50,000 to charity through Apple Pay
US Bank is to raise up to US$50,000 for the US Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots charity programme by donating $1 whenever one of its customers in Minnesota completes an Apple Pay transaction... More
Beacons to drive $7.5bn in holiday season spending
Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons and proximity marketing solutions will drive US$7.5bn in spending by millennials in the US this holiday season, research from beacon network inMarket predicts... More
Seqr to add P2P transfers to mobile wallet
US consumers will be able to make P2P transfers through Swedish firm Seamless’ Seqr mobile payment platform from early 2016, utilising payment provider Dwolla’s infrastructure... More
14% of US shoppers will use mobile payments over holiday season
More than one in ten US shoppers with a smartphone (14%) plan to make mobile payments using services including Apple Pay or Android Pay this holiday season, research from Bankrate reveals. “Among those who don’t plan to make mobile payments, the top reasons were not secure enough (36%) and other payment methods are more convenient (31%),” the company says.... More
Google boosts Android Pay adoption with $1m charity fund
Google is to give up to US$1m to the DonorsChoose.org charity by the end of December by donating US$1 for every purchase made in the US using Android Pay... More
Samsung Pay adds eight more US issuers
Samsung Pay has added support from eight additional US card issuers including Chase and SunTrust... More
Square rolls out first contactless readers
Mobile POS provider Square is rolling out the first of its $49 contactless readers to 100 US businesses, allowing them to accept chip cards, contactless and NFC payments including Apple Pay... More
Coin launches cashback incentive
US connected device maker Coin is piloting a rewards program that gives users of its EMV-ready electronic magnetic stripe card cashback benefits at retail locations across the Bay Area... More
Coinbase ships Bitcoin debit card
Bitcoin wallet Coinbase and Shift Payments have introduced a US-issued Bitcoin-backed debit card that will allow Coinbase users in 24 states to make payments using the virtual currency both online and in-store... More
Dunkin’ Donuts pilots mobile ordering
Members of Dunkin’ Donuts’ DD Perks Rewards program in Portland, Maine can now place and pay for orders on their mobile device using a new On-the-Go ordering app... More
Four in ten US consumers plan to make an in-store mobile payment this holiday season
A total of 39% of US consumers surveyed by Research Now for Inside Secure say they plan to use their smartphone to make an in-store purchase during this holiday season, up from 33% last year. 17% of those who did not make a mobile payment last year say they plan to use a service like Apple Pay, Android Pay or Samsung Pay this year. More
Taubman malls to send out offers via WiFi
Shoppers in four Taubman shopping centres in the US will soon receive offers on their mobile device via the guest WiFi network and mobile retail solution StepsAway... More