Apple Pay’s Express Transit mode working in parts of London Underground — MacRumors — “Apple Pay’s Express Transit mode has been functional on at least some tube and bus routes in London since last Tuesday or so, according to multiple MacRumors readers… Express Transit mode eliminates the need for users to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode or even wake their device when they pay for rides with Apple Pay.”
A new deal between Google and Cubic Transportation Systems is set to make it possible for public transport users in a number of major cities around the world to use Google Pay to add their transit card to their NFC mobile phone... More
Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has added a manned till and two self-checkout stations to the London store it opened in April as the UK’s first checkout-free supermarket... More
Would you microchip yourself to speed up paying with contactless? — This is Money — “11% of Londoners surveyed by PaymentSense and YouGov said they’d consider microchipping themselves to make it quicker for them to make contactless payments… A quarter say they’d be happy to use a fingerprint scanner to verify payments. 16% would be in favour of using a retinal scanner to do so.”
Uber’s move into transit ticketing has resulted in a “strong initial performance” with more than 1,200 Regional Transportation District (RTD) tickets sold through the Uber app since the service launched in Denver in May and growth “averaging 42% each week during the rollout period”... More
Uber has launched a trial of its pedal-assisted electric bikes in London as part of its strategy to become an all-round transport app... More
Belfast City Council has partnered with Israel-based Colu for the launch of Belfast Coin, a city-wide rewards and payment platform that enables participants to earn rewards for taking part in ‘good citizen’ activities such as shopping at local businesses, volunteering and recycling... More
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
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
How the London Underground brings in 53,000 new contactless users a day — PaymentsSource — “More than 21.6m journeys per week are made on London public transit using contactless payments. More than 53,000 new contactless cards or new mobile contactless payments enter the TfL each day, and one in eight contactless journeys come via Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, or other mobile wallet apps.”
Apple is expanding its support for transit systems, enabling travellers in the US to use Apple Pay as a replacement for travel tickets... More
Alipay granted Luxembourg license to serve European market — Luxembourg for Finance — “Already present with a licensed entity in London, Alipay’s new PSD2 license in Luxembourg will allow the group to leverage the EU passport to serve its customers across Europe in the future and connect Chinese users with merchants in EU countries.”
Fundraisers wearing Christmas jumpers containing a contactless card reader built into the sleeve are in place at 16 London tube stations today, to raise funds for Save the Children’s annual Christmas Jumper Day appeal... More
Mayor doubles street outreach team to help rough sleepers — Mayor of London — “The Tap London points are small, secure payment points that enable Londoners to make £3 (US$3.82) donations by card. 35 donation points will launch today with more than 90 appearing across the capital this winter. Today the Mayor launched the scheme at City Hall, where one of the building’s windows now has a donation point. The other donation points are located in busy areas around the capital.”
The percentage of payments made with a mobile phone in UK stores has jumped from 1.3% in Q3 2016 to 5.6% in Q3 2018, an analysis of 190m card transactions has shown... More
M&S rolls out checkout free checkout as part of digital first strategy — Marks & Spencer — “M&S has today announced the launch of its scan and pay service, Mobile, Pay, Go, which will be available for customers in six London stores ahead of Christmas… The pacey roll out follows a successful trial of the service at Waterside Simply Food over the summer. The store now sees 20% of its sales from Mobile, Pay, Go with an average of 170 items being purchased through the app every hour.”
Earnest Labs reveals results of contactless charity donation platform Tap for Change — The Drum — “Tap For Change has transformed our fundraising… It would take years to raise the same amount from people emptying their pockets of loose change, and it would require a logistical army to collect and bank those donations. The technology has also allowed us to successfully approach high street partners where customers don’t handle cash, such as travel agents and estate agents. Those partners would have previously been reluctant to host a coin collection box.”
Skip the queue, scan and go: Sainsbury’s launches till-free shopping — Sainsbury’s — “In a UK supermarket first, Sainsbury’s is trialling new scan, pay and go technology that will enable customers in one of its busy London convenience stores to pay for products in-store using their smartphone… Using the latest version of the SmartShop app, customers visiting the Clapham North Station Local can use their smartphones to scan their shopping as they go and then pay for it through the app, from anywhere in the store, using Apple Pay.”
Contactless journeys now available to view on the go via free TfL app — Transport for London — “Customers using contactless payment cards in London can now view their journey history on the go following the latest update to the free TfL Oyster and contactless app. Half of all Tube and rail ‘pay as you go’ journeys in London are now regularly made using contactless payment cards or mobile devices.”
Busking goes cashless with ‘a world first’ for London — BBC — “London has introduced a contactless payment scheme for buskers in what the organisers claim is a world first. In addition to tossing loose change into a box, passers-by can use card readers to make contactless payments…The scheme will be be rolled out across the city after successful trials.”
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