New Texas law allows merchants to decline card purchases without ID — The Texas Tribune — “A law that takes effect in January will allow Texas merchants to ask for photo identification for credit and debit card purchases — and turn down transactions if a buyer won’t show it… Payments made using a mobile wallet are exempt from the photo ID measure.”
Mobile wallet
Paytm to launch chat feature in mobile app
Paytm to launch chat feature in mobile app — Economic Times — “Digital payments company Paytm will launch a chat facility built into its mobile app which will allow user-to-user communication. The feature is expected to be launched later this month.”
Bank of America and PayPal partner to enable in-store payments and account linking
Bank of America and PayPal partner to enable in-store payments and account linking — Bank of America — “Bank of America will partner with PayPal to tokenize Bank of America cards for customers wishing to use PayPal for in-store purchases, across MasterCard and Visa portfolios in the US. This will support PayPal’s forthcoming NFC mobile wallet experience to enable in-store tap-to-pay purchases and reflects Bank of America’s open wallet strategy.”
You can now fund your Abra wallet with your American Express card
You can now fund your Abra wallet with your American Express card — Abra — “This feature will be made available to a small group of Abra wallet users today and will be rolled out to our entire user base in the coming days… With growing acceptance of bitcoin by major retailers and vendors worldwide, it is getting easier to spend funds directly from your Abra wallet every day.”
TD Canada for iOS now lets you easily add TD cards to Apple Pay
TD Canada for iOS now lets you easily add TD cards to Apple Pay — iPhone in Canada – “TD Canada for iOS has been updated to make it easier to add your TD cards to Apple Pay… This update will assist new Apple Pay users to easily adopt the mobile wallet, as all they have to do is verify their TD cards within the bank’s iOS app, instead of scanning or manually entering numbers within Apple Wallet.”
Rambus explores five key reasons retailers should have a mobile wallet
PARTNER NEWS: An 11-page white paper exploring five key reasons that retailers should deploy their own branded mobile wallet service is now available to download from the NFC World Knowledge Centre... More
Wells Fargo wants its ‘Control Tower’ to manage your digital financial life
Wells Fargo wants its ‘Control Tower’ to manage your digital financial life — Fortune — “Control Tower will allow Wells Fargo customers to track every place they’ve shared their payment information, whether it be via a device, mobile wallet, or online retailer… If their card expires or is re-issued, consumers can simply push the data for the new card out to retailers and mobile wallets through the Wells Fargo app.”
Mahindra Comviva expands payment options for merchants in India
PARTNER NEWS: Mahindra Comviva has enhanced its PayPlus mobile POS solution to enable Indian merchants to accept payments via Aadhaar, Bharat QR, UPI, card and mobile wallets through a single interface... More
What’s New in Payments 2: Special report sets out the latest thinking on the future of payments — free of charge
Payments experts from the European Banking Authority, Yandex, Vodafone, Orange, Dejamobile and Wirecard are among eight contributors to What’s New in Payments: Volume Two, a 76-page special report on the future of payments which is now available to download free of charge from the NFC World Knowledge Centre... More
Commuters on the F1 Manly to Circular Quay ferry first to tap into contactless ticketing on one of Sydney’s most iconic routes
Commuters on the F1 Manly to Circular Quay ferry first to tap into contactless ticketing on one of Sydney’s most iconic routes — Mastercard — “Paying for a ferry ride is now as easy as tap-and-go, as Mastercard and Transport for NSW bring contactless ticketing payment to Sydney Ferries… In an Australian first, commuters can use their Mastercard contactless card or mobile wallets that have enabled Mastercard cards to tap on.”
N26 will bring Apple Pay to customers in Spain later this year
N26 will bring Apple Pay to customers in Spain later this year — N26 — “Later this year, N26 will bring Apple Pay, which is transforming mobile payments with an easy, secure and private way to pay that’s fast and convenient, to customers in Spain. N26 is proud to bring Apple Pay to Spain. Supporting Apple Pay is another example of the innovation for which N26 is so well known.”
Citi Pay launches in the US
Citi Pay launches in the US — Citi — “Online and in-app purchases will be enabled through Citi’s integration of Masterpass… For Android users, the digital wallet also enables Citi cardholders to make in-store purchases by tapping their Android mobile devices at any NFC-enabled point-of-sale terminal… In 2016, Citi Pay launched in Singapore, Australia and Mexico with tap and pay capabilities.”
Over 20 financial institutions in the US, Europe add support for Apple Pay
Over 20 financial institutions in the US, Europe add support for Apple Pay — Apple Insider — “Apple added another 22 banks and credit unions to its roster of Apple Pay-supporting institutions in the United States, with the new additions to the collection joined by a number of European institutions… The latest batch of institutions to join the Apple Pay support page are, like the last update, made up of regional banks and credit unions.”
LG Pay to be used for low-budget smartphones next year
LG Pay to be used for low-budget smartphones next year — Korea Herald — “‘We will expand the use of LG Pay into low-budget smartphones alongside premium phones next year,’ Cho Jun-ho, president of LG’s mobile communication division said during a meeting with local bloggers on Friday… Cho said the use of LG Pay will expand into online stores and the global market, although he did not elaborate the specific date.”
In China, Amazon’s ‘store of the future’ is already open
In China, Amazon’s ‘store of the future’ is already open — Tech In Asia — “This is a typical Bingobox store… A shopper opens the door – and registers with the startup – through WeChat, the popular messaging app… The customer has to scan each item’s barcode. And then pay on their phone, either via WeChat or Alibaba’s mobile wallet app, Alipay. As you leave the store, a camera checks you’re taking out only the stuff you paid for.”
There’s now an Apple Pay smart debit card for kids
There’s now an Apple Pay smart debit card for kids — 9to5Mac — “With Greenlight, the money you give your child is divided into two categories: money they can spend anywhere, and money they can spend only at a store (or a kind of store) you’ve approved in advance… Greenlight is also turning on Apple Pay support for kids who can add the smart debit card to Apple’s Wallet service on the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac.”
BBVA brings Alipay to Spain
BBVA brings Alipay to Spain — BBVA — “BBVA will integrate Alipay into the bank’s Smartpay service, which turns a cell phone into a means of payment… Stores already using the service simply need to update the Smartpay app to be able to accept payments with Alipay. BBVA is also working with the large chain stores in Spain to prepare them to accept payments with Alipay as early as possible.”
American Express goes live with Android Pay in Canada
AmEx cardholders in Canada are now able to make mobile payments using Android Pay, American Express has announced... More
Scotiabank adds multi-loyalty programs to mobile banking apps
Customers of Canada’s Scotiabank can now add, access and track their loyalty cards from 18 different programs using the bank’s mobile banking and My Mobile Wallet apps, which have been integrated with “multi-loyalty program functionality” supplied by loyalty network Points... More
Urban Airship analysis of retailers’ mobile wallet coupons and loyalty cards reveals widespread peer-to-peer sharing
Urban Airship analysis of retailers’ mobile wallet coupons and loyalty cards reveals widespread peer-to-peer sharing — Urban Airship — “Analysis of more than one million Apple Wallet coupons and loyalty cards of major retail brands shows that for every mobile wallet pass a customer installs, it is shared and added to 3.3 other mobile devices on average… More than three-quarters of retailers’ installed passes were the result of sharing versus being created and distributed through their marketing channels.”