The USPTO has published a patent application by three Intel engineers that describes an NFC antenna design which makes use of a cascaded coil concept to enable interactions to be performed without a user needing to precisely orientate their phone... More
Fast food chain Chick-fil-A has begun a mobile payments pilot in the Triad area of North Carolina... More
Restaurant chain Chili’s Grill & Bar is installing 45,000 Ziosk tabletop tablets in 823 outlets across the US, enabling customers to browse the menu, place orders, leave feedback, access entertainment services and pay from their table, using an integrated card reader... More
Some 70% of US credit cards and 41% of debit cards will be EMV enabled by the end of 2015, according to a new Aite Group report, but the majority will be contact cards rather than dual interface cards that also support contactless payments... More
Happy Hour Pal, a Honolulu-based startup that lets businesses promote special offers to users of its mobile app, is using Bluetooth LE beacons and Apple’s iBeacon service to push happy hour offers to consumers, Pacific Business News reports... More
Veolia Transportation is rolling out a mobile ticketing and payment service on the NICE bus and paratransit system in New York’s Nassau County, in partnership with mobile ticketing and payment provider Masabi... More
US mPOS provider CardFlight is to make use of Apple’s new Touch ID API to provide an extra level of security to merchants using its SwipeSimple service with an Apple iPhone... More
Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) has partnered with mobile ticketing provider Bytemark to provide travellers on the South Shore Line with a way to purchase and store train tickets on their mobile device... More
Chip maker Broadcom has developed a way for multiple NFC antennas to be built into an NFC device, making it possible in future for consumers to conduct NFC interactions without having to orientate their phone in a particular way... More
GE Lighting and US startup Bytelight have unveiled a marketing platform that lets merchants use LED lighting installed in and around their stores to send offers, directions to particular products and information services to shoppers, based on their precise location within a retail store... More
US startup QuickCoin is making it possible for Facebook users to send Bitcoins to friends from within the social networking platform... More
The retail giant is introducing a digital receipt service across its 4,200 US stores, enabling shoppers to store a digital version of their receipt in a mobile app by scanning a QR code on their paper receipt or by entering their mobile number at the point of sale. Customers will then be able to use the receipts to create a shopping list on their device, making the in-store experience “easier and more convenient”. More
Digital design agency Aurnhammer is using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons placed in bars and restaurants to guide participants to their next pub crawl destination — and provide them with sponsored rewards for taking part... More
Prepaid voucher provider Groupon has launched an iPad-based point-of-sale terminal that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to let merchants “instantly recognize their Groupon customers as they enter their business, seamlessly redeem Groupons and save time and money.”... More
Canada-based coffee chain Tim Hortons has expanded its mobile payments service, first launched using host card emulation (HCE) technology in December 2013, with the introduction of barcode-based mobile payments across its outlets in the USA and Canada... More
Sports venue display provider Access Sports Media is to use Blue Bite’s mTag platform to add NFC, QR, SMS and geofencing capabilities to its more than 20,000 displays in 200 US sports venues... More
PayPal Beacon, a mobile payment service that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons to let shoppers make “hands free” payments, is now undergoing pilot testing in Palo Alto... More
San Francisco Soup Company, operator of 17 soup, salad and sandwich restaurants around the Bay Area, has selected mobile solutions provider Punchh to create a customised mobile guest rewards program... More
A US startup is seeking funds for a service that tracks produce all the way from farm to supermarket shelf, ultimately letting consumers tap a tag on a bag of coffee to see the farm on which it was grown and trace its journey... More
Isis saw its user adoption growth rate double last month and is now adding an average of 20,000 new users a day, Michael Abbott, CEO of the US carrier-led NFC venture, has revealed... More