The Ventra mobile ticketing app introduced by Chicago’s Metra commuter rail service in November 2015 has been used by passengers on more than one million journeys in its first two months... More
App
Swiss banks add support for Paymit mobile payments
Paymit, the P2P transfer service set up by Switzerland’s SIX, UBS and Zürcher Kantonalbank, has added support from three more banks ahead of its launch as an in-store mobile payment solution in February 2016... More
Starbucks sees rise in US mobile transactions
Some 22% of all US transactions in Starbucks during December were made using mobile apps, up from 21% in November 2015, the company’s Kevin Johnson reported during the coffee chain’s first quarter earnings call. “Over one million customers in the US used Mobile Order & Pay capability in the month of December and those customers averaged approximately five mobile orders in the month,” Johnson added... More
Barclaycard reports 164% increase in contactless transactions for 2015
The value of payments made using a Barclaycard contactless card increased by 164% in 2015 compared to the year before, the UK card issuer has revealed, while the average transaction value increased by 26% to £8.65 (US$12.40)... More
Samsung Pay to go live in Spain with CaixaBank
Customers of Spain’s CaixaBank will be the first in the country to be able to use Samsung Pay, following a partnership between the bank and Samsung that will see the mobile payment service added as an option to CaixaBank’s host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payment app. More
Gemalto supplies NFC SIMs to Russian carriers for transit ticketing in Moscow
PARTNER NEWS: Digital security giant Gemalto is supplying Russian mobile network operators MegaFon and VimpelCom with UpTeq Multi-Tenant NFC SIMs that allow the carriers’ subscribers to board metro trains, trams and buses across Moscow using their NFC phones and the Troika transport card mobile app... More
McDonald’s rolls out FreeCharge mobile payments to 216 Indian restaurants
McDonald’s customers across West & South India can now pay for their orders in-store using their mobile device... More
Rite Aid deploys 4,500 Bluetooth beacons
US pharmacy chain Rite Aid has deployed more than 4,500 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons across its US stores to send personalised messages to its customers... More
Carta and NXP to enable NFC payments and offers on wearables, mobile and connected devices
PARTNER NEWS: NXP and transaction technology provider Carta are to integrate Carta’s digital transaction platform with NXP’s NFC capabilities, with the aim of enabling NFC payments, loyalty and offers to be deployed across a wide range of mobile, wearable and connected devices... More
KPN and Rabobank to launch SIM-based NFC payments
Dutch mobile network operator KPN and Rabobank have unveiled a SIM-based NFC mobile payment solution that will launch this spring... More
Nebraska’s Union Bank & Trust to launch HCE mobile payments
Customers of Union Bank & Trust (UBT) in Nebraska, USA will soon be able to make host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payments via a mobile app that uses a solution from digital payments provider Prairie Cloudware... More
Gemalto’s cloud-based mobile payments system gets MasterCard approval
PARTNER NEWS: Digital security giant Gemalto has gained MasterCard approval for a complete cloud-based mobile payment solution that includes everything from backoffice server platforms to the payment software running on cardholders’ mobile phones. More
Google to reward Android Pay users for in-store purchases
Android Pay users across the US will soon be able to earn rewards such as Google Store credit, Google Play Music subscriptions and Chromecast devices when using the mobile payment service for in-store purchases... More
Paytm trials sound-based payments
Indian mobile payment platform Paytm is trialling a Sound Pay feature that will enable users of its mobile app to make in-store payments via ultrasonic sound waves which transmit data — including payment amount and customer credentials — to the point of sale... More
Barclaycard begins rolling out HCE payments to mobile app
Barclaycard has begun rolling out a host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payment feature to its mobile app this week, with a complete rollout expected by early next week. Users can make NFC payments of up to £30 (US$43) with just a touch, and high-value contactless payments of up to £100 (US$143) by entering their PIN on their mobile device. More
Diebold takes NFC to the self-checkout
ATM manufacturer Diebold has demonstrated a mobile-enabled self-checkout concept that would let shoppers use their mobile device to scan items they want to buy while shopping in-store before checking out at a self-service POS terminal with NFC. More
CaixaBank launches mobile-only bank
Spain’s CaixaBank has launched a mobile-only bank to provide banking services through mobile apps and social networks... More
Oxford Tube gets mobile ticketing
Travellers on regular bus services between London and Oxford can now buy tickets for travel directly from their smartphone using the Oxford Tube Mobile Tickets app developed by Corethree... More
Dubai to get payment system based on mobile phone numbers
Consumers across Dubai will soon be able to make in-store and online payments using their mobile phone number following an agreement between payment solutions providers Quisk Middle East and Network International... More
Samsung unveils Smart Swing golf wear with NFC
Samsung’s fashion division has developed a t-shirt designed for golfers that comes equipped with an NFC chip in its sleeve. When tapped with an NFC device, the chip launches a mobile app that provides the golfer with information about the course they’re playing on. More