Port Authority to begin testing pay-by-smartphone; rollout expected by the end of the year — Port Authority of Allegheny County — “Hardware is being installed so Port Authority employees and select stakeholders can begin testing the application and associated hardware… Public testing and the public release of the mobile application are expected to occur later this year.”
NFC
Real-time video shows Cilab’s high-speed NFC tester in action
PARTNER NEWS: A new video from Cilab shows how the company’s high-speed test equipment can be used to reduce the costs and complexity of NFC testing, by completing a full EMVCo PCD Level 1 test in just 42 minutes — a process that typically takes most of a full working day... More
Apple Pay users report double-charging issue on New York subway
Some NYC subway riders are accidentally getting double-charged because of Apple Pay — The Verge — “Some people have the Express Transit feature enabled, but are still using their MetroCard to pay for rides. While swiping their MetroCard, their iPhones are somehow coming into contact with the reader, either because they were holding it in their hands or through a pocket or purse, the MTA suspects.”
Visa to let merchants accept contactless payments on Android NFC phones
Visa has unveiled Tap to Phone, a new software-only solution that enables merchants to accept contactless payments on Android NFC mobile phones, without the need for any additional hardware... More
NFC Forum releases four new specifications
The NFC Forum has released four new specifications designed to improve “the robustness and communications speed for the over two billion NFC-enabled devices, like smartphones, in use today”... More
Fifteen US universities to add student IDs to Google Pay
Fifteen US universities have signed up to integrate their student ID cards with Google Pay, enabling staff and students to make payments and access facilities and residence halls with their Android NFC phone... More
Sao Paulo to roll out contactless payments across bus network
All buses in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo will accept payments via Mastercard and Visa contactless cards, Samsung Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay by the end of this year, local business magazine Exame reports... More
NTT Docomo combines UWB and NFC for hands-free payments at the POS
PARTNER NEWS: Japanese carrier NTT Docomo is using NXP’s new NFC, ultra wideband (UWB) and secure element chipset in a concept POS device that lets consumers make secure payments “while keeping your smartphone in your pocket or bag”... More
CIMB lets merchants accept payments on standard Android NFC phones
Merchants in Malaysia can now use an off-the-shelf Android NFC smartphone and an app developed by CIMB Bank to accept debit card payments valued at up to RM250 (US$61.08) — with no additional hardware required... More
Octopus lets iPhone users top up their cards via NFC
Public transportation users in Hong Kong can now use the NFC functionality in their Android or iOS device to top up their Octopus transit card, view their transaction history, check their balance and collect fare subsidies... More
Transport for NSW to pilot digital Opal card
Transport for NSW has announced plans to pilot a new digital version of its Opal transit card that will enable cardholders to “pay for all modes of transport — whether it be light rail, a bus, on demand service, taxi or Uber — with a single tap of their phone.”... More
Contactless payments expand to Miami bus services
Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works has rolled out support for contactless payments across its Metrobus fleet, making it possible for commuters to use contactless cards and NFC mobile phones to pay for both bus and rail fares across Miami, the sixth most densely populated city in the US... More
SEPTA to roll out NFC mobile ticketing in Philadelphia
SEPTA, the transportation authority for the Greater Philadelphia region in the US, is to add support for Google Pay and Apple Pay across its network of subway, rail, trolley and bus services from the “spring or early summer” of 2020... More
Westpac begins Apple Pay rollout
Westpac, the last of the major Australian banks to hold out against the introduction of Apple Pay, has switched on support for the mobile payments service for customers of three of its smaller brands and has announced it will roll out support to its main customer base by June 2020... More
PicWicToys lets shoppers skip the checkout lines
Toy retailer PicWicToys, which took over the French stores of Toys ’R’ Us last year, has introduced a mobile self-checkout solution designed to ease the strain of shopping with children, by letting customers avoid waiting in a queue to check out and pay for their purchases... More
Cambridge Consultants combines NFC and machine vision for next generation interactive bar
Cambridge Consultants has unveiled an interactive drinks bar that uses NFC to add a new element to the experience of ordering drinks in a busy bar environment... More
American Airlines includes NFC passport reading in mobile app
Passengers flying on international American Airlines flights can now use an NFC passport checking function integrated into the airline’s mobile apps “to head directly to the gate for international flights without having their passports rechecked by a customer service agent”... More
Sheep Inc uses NFC tags to let sweater buyers trace their purchase back to the original fleece
Sheep Inc: The world’s first carbon-negative fashion brand — Evening Standard — “Each sweater comes with an NFC tag on the hem, marked with a unique serial number. When scanned with a smartphone, the full details of the garment’s manufacturing journey and carbon-footprint are unlocked… In amongst all the information and insights on material origins, water usage and production techniques that appear when you scan the tag, is also the name of the sheep who provided the wool for your sweater.”
Merivale to let Sydney diners tap table tags to order food and drinks
Merivale kingpin Justin Hemmes is backing restaurant ordering app me&u — Business Insider Australia — “The app uses a beacon and near field communication technology (NFC) to order and pay for your meal on your phone while you’re at a restaurant, cutting out the process of having to flag down a waiter.”
PCI publishes CPoC standard for accepting contactless payments on off-the-shelf NFC devices
PCI Security Standards Council publishes new standard for contactless payments — PCI Security Standards Council — “The primary elements of a CPoC solution include: a Cots [commercial off-the-shelf] device with an embedded NFC interface to read the payment card or payment device; a validated payment acceptance software application that runs on the merchant Cots device initiating a contactless transaction; and back-end systems that are independent from the Cots device and support monitoring, integrity checks and payment processing.”