Xiaomi Mi Band 3 NFC version to go on sale on September 19; Total wearable sales exceed 50m — Gizmochina — “The company has officially confirmed that it will begin the sales of the Mi Band 3 NFC edition starting from Sept 19 with a price tag of 199 Yuan (US$29 approx)… Apart from supporting contactless payment POS terminals enabled with NFC, the Mi Band 3 NFC version will support city bus card payments in [as] many as 167 cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Suzhou, Hefei, Xi’an, and Jilin among others in China.”
Travel and ticketing
San Francisco transit operators to deploy NFC ticketing
Cubic chosen as preferred provider by Metropolitan Transportation Commission for contract to deliver next-gen fare payment system — Cubic — “The next-generation system will include new features including an integrated mobile app that will support a virtual Clipper card, enabling customers to access real-time information, top up their accounts, plan trips and tap their phones through faregates and on buses in much the same way as mobile payments can be made at retailers.”
NFC ticketing pioneer Utah Transit Authority pulls support for contactless payments
General-purpose contactless payments continue to struggle on US transit systems — Digital Transactions — “The Salt Lake City-based Utah Transit Authority, a pioneer in contactless fare payments, has discontinued acceptance of general-purpose contactless mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. The UTA also no longer accepts contactless general-purpose payment cards, though such cards aren’t yet common in the United States. Only 112 riders on average used those forms of payment — far less than 1% of UTA’s average of 147,728 weekday boardings as of last December, according to a spokesperson.”
Paris Metro begins NFC ticketing pilot
Bus tickets and Navigo passes are available on smartphones in Ile-de-France — RTL (translation) — “RATP has begun pilot testing a service that makes it possible to buy and store a metro ticket directly on a smartphone. This first pilot is being conducted with around one hundred users, selected from RATP and SNCF employees. The system will be extended to include the Navigo Pass in November and extended to all operators in the summer of 2019.”
Skagen includes NFC payments in Falster 2 smartwatch
Announcing Falster 2, Skagen’s next generation of touchscreen smartwatch — Skagen — “Falster 2 features integrated NFC technology, allowing users to make hands-free payments via Google Pay and access participating public transit systems using their device.”
United flyers can now save boarding passes in Google Pay
Passengers flying with the world’s third largest airline can now store their boarding passes in the Google Pay mobile wallet app on their smartphones... More
Manchester City equips soccer fans with NFC wristbands
Leading UK football club Manchester City has released an NFC wristband that focuses on delivering team news and stats to fans... More
Fossil launches Gen 4 smartwatches with Google Pay support
Fossil unveils its most tech-packed touchscreen smartwatch to date — Fossil — “Exclusively compatible with Google Pay (transit and pay currently available in select countries), NFC prevents users from having to pull out their card every time they need to complete a transaction. With a few taps, your card is ready on watch to streamline any checkout experience. Security is an obvious consideration, and users set up a unique lock code on their watch to help protect from any identity or data theft.”
Scottish railway operator pilots HCE for mobile ticketing
Rambus brings secure mobile ticketing to Scotland’s railway — Rambus — PARTNER NEWS — “Rambus’ HCE Ticket Wallet Service leverages technology proven in the payments industry to create a virtual smartcard that securely stores tickets on mobile devices. The solution integrates with existing software and station infrastructure, allowing transport operators to manage both smartcard and mobile tickets in a single system, reducing integration costs and deployment time.”
EZ-Link turns loose change into transit card top-ups
Wirecard partners with EZ-Link and Cheers to establish a tailor-made contactless card solution in Singapore reducing the usage of loose change in the country — Wirecard — “Through this partnership, users are able to convert their loose change directly into stored value on EZ-Link cards and EZ-Charms — Singapore’s most widely used contactless solution for commute on buses and trains, as well as lifestyle purchases island-wide… When making purchases with cash at select Cheers outlets, consumers just need to inform the cashier to top-up their EZ-Link directly with the change they receive. This minimizes any inconvenience and time needed to count the coins. No transaction fees are required to use the service.”
TransLink reports fast uptake of contactless payments on Vancouver transit system
One millions taps — Tap to Pay hits a milestone — TransLink — “It’s been two months since we launched Tap to Pay and we are happy to share our customers have embraced this new payment option in a big way. To date, there have been 160,000 unique users who have tapped their contactless credit cards and mobile wallets… Customers can tap card readers with a contactless Visa or Mastercard credit card, or a device with an Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay wallet.”
Amex files blockchain proof of payment patent
Systems and methods for blockchain based proof of payment — USPTO — “The system may be used to unlock a hotel, rental, or shared economy property door using the card (eg that was used for the payment) to look up proof of payment on a blockchain… In another example, the system may be used to provide ticketless access to venues (eg movie theater, sports event, concert, etc) to a customer… In still another example, the system may enable access control to rental vehicles (eg bike, boat, or car) to a customer in response to swiping the card.”
Major League Baseball stadiums to introduce biometric payments and ticketing
No more tickets? MLB fans will soon use fingerprints, facial recognition instead — Fox Business — “A tap of the finger will soon replace traditional tickets at baseball stadiums across the country… A pilot program will arrive at select venues later this season… The platform will expand to point-of-sale systems and possibly more teams… Fans will be able to pay for food and validate their age for alcohol purchases using their fingerprint.”
Google Pay rolls out support for P2P payments, concert tickets and boarding passes
Do more with Google Pay — Google — “Today, we’re starting to roll out updates that will let you do even more with Google Pay. Here’s a look at what’s new: Pay friends with the Google Pay app; Save concert tickets and boarding passes; Manage your info in one convenient place.”
DART opens up its transit ticketing app to private transportation operators
Dallas transit embraces Uber, Lyft and other mobility options — GovTech.com — “Dallas transit riders can do much more than purchase bus or train tickets with the region’s GoPass app. Riders can now use it to book a ride with Uber or Lyft, and will soon be able to schedule other modes of getting around, such as renting a bike on one of the city’s five bike-share apps.”
Moscow Metro adds loyalty program to Troika transit ticketing card
Public transport users in Moscow can now earn loyalty rewards as they travel and transact around the Russian capital... More
Sydney’s public transport operator integrates on-demand transit service into its ticketing system
First on-demand operator taps into Opal — iTnews — “Transport for NSW has expanded its OpalPay payment method to allow the first on-demand public transport operators to tap into the Opal card system… The payment method will now expand to on-demand public transport services operated by Transit Systems in Sydney’s Inner West. The on-demand service, which will launch new week, is the latest in a series of on-demand services now operating across Sydney and Newcastle.”
HID Global supplies RFID tickets to 2018 World Cup
HID Global scores big with smart and secure tickets for 2018 Fifa World Cup — HID Global — PARTNER NEWS — “The 2018 Fifa World Cup ticket is a smart ticket containing a radio frequency identification (RFID) inlay and manufactured with special security papers and integrates several security features designed to prevent counterfeiting and forgery… Attendees can simply tap their tickets to a reader to validate them and gain access to an event, speeding up admissions dramatically in high-volume events such as World Cup matches.”
Beijing metro looks to biometrics to speed up payments at turnstiles
Beijing subways to get bio-ID system — China Daily — “Two bio-recognition technologies — facial recognition and palm touch — are being considered, said Zhang Huabing, head of enterprise development for Beijing Subway… Facial recognition technology can track passenger movements with cameras connected to online networks that recognize people when they enter a station, potentially allowing them to bypass traditional ticketing.”
Transport for London adds in-app contactless journey tracking
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.”