Mastercard has unveiled a new feature for its Qkr... More
Mastercard adds bar tab feature to Qkr! mobile payments app
Food service
Tim Hortons and Burger King to get mobile order and pay?
Customers at Tim Hortons and Burger King restaurants in Canada will soon be able to order and pay in advance using a mobile phone app... More
Starbucks customers get voice ordering as mobile orders and payments continue to grow
US consumers can now place orders from coffee giant Starbucks by speaking into the Starbucks iOS mobile app or to Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa. The move comes as the company reveals that mobile orders made up 7% of all its US transactions in the last quarter, with mobile payments now accounting for 27%. More
Carnival unveils NFC and BLE wearable for cruise ship passengers
Holidaymakers aboard Carnival Corporation cruise ships will soon be given an NFC and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) enabled wearable device, designed by the man behind Disney’s MagicBand, that will let them access a range of next generation services including boarding without checking in, unlocking rooms, accessing personalised entertainment, ordering food and making payments. More
Samsung lets smart fridge owners use voice commands to order groceries
US consumers will soon be able to use their voice to order groceries directly from their fridge with the latest edition of Samsung’s smart connected fridge platform and an updated version of the Groceries by Mastercard mobile app... More
London bar tests contactless self-serve beer pump
Customers at Henry’s Café Bar in London’s Piccadilly have been testing a prototype self-serve beer pump that allows them to order drinks on a touchscreen and complete payment by tapping their contactless card or NFC device at the base of the pump, before placing their glass under the dispenser for the drink... More
Starbucks in China to accept WeChat Pay mobile payments
Customers at about 2,500 Starbucks locations across mainland China can now make mobile payments using Chinese internet giant Tencent’s WeChat Pay mobile payments platform by scanning a QR code at the point of sale... More
App offers order ahead restaurant service
US consumers using the Chase Pay QR code-based mobile payments service can now order ahead, pay for food and access special offers at participating Boston restaurants using the app... More
Apple Pay launches in Spain
Apple Pay has been officially launched in Spain, with Apple developing partnerships with Banco Santander, payment giants American Express and Mastercard, retailer Carrefour and prepaid meal payment service Ticket Restaurant... More
Covent Garden offers augmented reality gift for Christmas shoppers
London’s Covent Garden shopping district is showcasing what it claims to be the largest showcase of augmented reality (AR) technology attempted in one location, with Christmas shoppers offered exclusive offers, gift guides and immersive shopping experiences... More
Optus adds smart coffee cup to contactless payments range
Australian mobile network operator Optus has updated its range of contactless payment accessories to include a SmartCup — a coffee cup that includes the new Optus Pay PayTag in its base allowing consumers to make contactless payments up to US$100 at any payment terminal that accepts Visa PayWave... More
Caffè Nero to build mobile payments with Yoyo Wallet
Coffee chain Caffè Nero is to build a mobile payment and loyalty platform for its customers using technology supplied by QR code-based platform Yoyo Wallet... More
Google Maps update enables food ordering from app
An update to Google Maps on iOS allows users to order food from their favourite restaurants directly from the app... More
P2P mobile payments platform Paym reports 5.8m transactions
More than £300m (US$364m) has now been processed through peer-to-peer mobile payments platform Paym since its launch in April 2014, accounting for more than 5.8m transactions... More
Masterpass enables in-car payments through General Motors’ OnStar
Drivers will soon be able to make purchases from within vehicles using their Masterpass account through OnStar — a subscription-based, in-car communications service and General Motors (GM) subsidiary... More
Pizza Hut offers NFC tattoos that let customers order favourite takeaway
Pizza Hut in the UK has unveiled what it describes as the world’s first pizza-ordering tattoo... More
Starbucks’ Mobile Order & Pay on the rise across the US
Nearly 5% of total US transactions in coffee giant Starbucks locations are now made through the company’s Mobile Order & Pay service, representing close to 20% of all mobile payments in store. More
Alibaba unveils connected car with Alipay mobile payments
Chinese internet giant Alibaba has unveiled a new “internet car” that will let drivers make mobile payments from their seat using affiliate company Ant Financial’s Alipay mobile payment platform. More
Europeans keen to use biometric authentication for payments, says Visa
More than two thirds (68%) of European consumers want to use biometrics as a method of payment authentication, research from Visa reveals, and 73% see two-factor authentication as a secure way to confirm an account holder’s identity. More
Android Pay launches in Australia
Google has begun rolling out its Android Pay mobile payment service in Australia with support from American Express and Visa. The service will be available from 27 banks and credit unions at launch and from an additional seven financial institutions “soon”. MasterCard support is expected “in a few days”. More