Mobile phone payment to smooth out Beijing subway rides — The Beijinger — “Beginning in May, commuters will be able to pay for their fares on the Beijing Metro by using electronic payment systems like Alipay. All entrance gates to subway stations in the city will be equipped with QR code sensors… The new feature is not related to last year’s feature that allowed Beijing commuters to enter city subways using near field communication (NFC) technology… The Beijing Metro intends to phase out NFC technology at its entrance gates at an unspecified future date.”
Travel and ticketing
Google Pay adds support for Mifare public transportation tickets
NXP’s Mifare 2Go and Google Pay transform public transportation — NXP — PARTNER NEWS — “Combining Google Pay with the security, flexibility and scalability of Mifare products, this solution serves as a catalyst for the mobile transit experience, as it will be available for any consumer equipped with widely-available Android phones that support Near Field Communication (NFC)… The first deployment of this solution went live today with the Las Vegas Monorail.”
Google expands support for wearable payments to Canada, Spain, and Australia
Google Pay on Wear OS officially spreads to three new countries — Android Police — “In addition to using NFC-equipped watches to make regular mobile payments, users in Australia can use their Wear OS devices with the Opal ticketing system to pay for single-trip tickets on select rail and ferry lines… Formerly, Google’s payment service was only supported on Android Wear (now Wear OS) devices in the US and the UK.”
Apple Pay to add support for transit cards?
Apple Pay is set to add support for closed loop transit cards, issued by public transportation operators, information found in the code of the latest version of iOS suggests... More
Meet NFC World’s partners at Mobile World Congress
NFC World partners Antelop Solutions, Dejamobile, Rambus and STMicroelectronics will be at Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona from 26 February to 1 March... More
Rambus explains how tokenization can add security to healthcare, ID, the blockchain and more
Tokenization has the potential to increase the security of a wide range of applications beyond payments, from healthcare to social security, logical access control and blockchain applications, Rambus explains in a new ebook which is now available to download from the NFC World Knowledge Centre... More
Adidas produces limited edition sneakers with a built-in transit pass
Shoe-Bahn: Berliners queue for sneaker with sewn-in annual transit ticket — The Local — “The sneaker bearing the design of seat covers on Berlin’s U-Bahn trains that has an annual ticket sewn into its flap was priced at only €180. An annual BVG ticket costs upwards of €761… The sneakers are valid until the end of 2018 as a ticket on Berlin U-bahn (subways), trams, buses and ferries — but only if they are worn at the time of travel.”
GlobalPlatform explains the role of standards in an increasingly diversified payments landscape
The increasing diversity of devices, services and players in the mobile payments ecosystem has led to the need for standards and certification to manage fragmentation, prevent fraud and ensure consistent user experience, GlobalPlatform’s Gil Bernabeu explains in a new paper now available to download from the NFC World Knowledge Centre... More
Canada to test blockchain and biometric identity concept that lets travellers control their own ID
Canada to test advancements in biometrics and blockchain to welcome international travellers — World Economic Forum — “The Known Traveller concept is founded on the principle that an individual traveller has control over the use of their own identity and its components. Due to this decentralization of control over the components of their identity, a traveller can push proof of their identity information — secured by distributed ledger technology and cryptography — to governmental and private-sector entities throughout their journey.”
Shanghai Metro installs QR code readers at ticketing gates
Shanghai Metro to accept mobile-app payments — Caixin — “QR code-readers are being installed in all 389 metro stations in the city, which will allow passengers to use an app developed by metro operator Shanghai Shentong Metro Group. The app – dubbed ‘Metro daduhui’ – will connect to the payments systems of Alipay and China UnionPay.”
NFC Forum case studies show how NFC can be used to build new consumer experiences
A 20-page ebook that shows how developers and product designers are using NFC to deliver next generation user experiences in transportation, retail, marketing and product authentication, and the Internet of Things is now available to download from the NFC World Knowledge Centre... More
Ant Financial gets central bank approval to launch mobile wallet JV in Malaysia
Touch ’n Go, Ant Financial get nod for e-wallet services — The Star — “Touch ’n Go Sdn Bhd (TNG) and partner Ant Financial Services Group have obtained Bank Negara’s approval to operate and offer mobile e-wallet services… The mobile e-wallet will be operated by TNG Digital Sdn Bhd, the joint-venture company between TNG and Ant Financial… TNG also expects its current users who are predominantly toll, transit and parking users to quickly sign on to enjoy the expanded services.”
LA Metro to offer incentives to NFC mobile ticketing users
Metro plans to roll out new smartphone payment app later this year — Curbed — “The system is expected to be ready for testing this summer, with a full rollout planned for the fall, says Metro spokesperson Rick Jager… Promotions will be available for frequent riders. Jager says these might include incentives for users choosing to ride public transit on smoggy days or a system by which riders could earn points or ‘medallions’ when paying for trips.”
Alipay reports mobile payments adoption stats
Mobile devices handle some 80% of Alipay’s online payments in 2017 — ECNS — “New data from Alipay show 82% of the transactions on its platform in 2017 were made through mobile devices, mostly smart phones. This ratio is said to be an all-time high… There were 520m Alipay users in China, or around 37% of the country’s population, in 2017… More than 40m small retailers across China, according to Alipay, established their own quick response codes in 2017… Bus and subway networks in more than 30 Chinese cities began allowing passengers to pay fares via Alipay through 2017.”
Australian transit authority uses open APIs to expand ticketing network to private operators
Transport for New South Wales opens up its Opal payments system to privately-operated transport services — Open Gov Asia — “Open APIs allow other companies using their own terminals and equipment to connect to the Opal payments system. This allows them to simplify their operations, reduce operating costs and provide a quick and convenient way for commuters to pay for travel across a range of transportation modes.”
GM drivers can now order and pay for goods and services from their car
GM lets customers order their morning coffee with their car — General Motors — “Drivers can now order and pay for their favourite coffee — and much more — on the way to work with a simple tap on the dash… Marketplace gives drivers of eligible Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles the opportunity to more safely interact with a growing number of their favourite brands in retail, fuel, hospitality, food, hotel and transportation through the in-vehicle touchscreen. Marketplace also features a “Shop” section dedicated to offers specific to GM vehicles.”
Brazil to introduce multifunction driver’s licenses that can be read with an NFC phone
New Brazilian driving licence adopts Cipurse specification from OSPT Alliance — OSPT Alliance — “The technology on the new card has many benefits including allowing law enforcement officers to read the data on the card via an NFC smartphone app, in any location, and quickly coordinate with other agencies across related systems. Additionally, banks can use fingerprint authentication to grant access to services and credit, and local public transportation solutions can also be implemented on the card.”
Trimet to roll out world’s first integration of transit ticketing card with Android Pay
Portland-Vancouver’s Hop Fastpass partners with Google, becoming the first virtual transit fare card available within Android Pay globally — TriMet — “TriMet and Google are teaming up for a first — making Hop Fastpass the first virtual transit card available in Android Pay starting early next year… In December 2017, a select group of TriMet, C-Tran, and Portland Streetcar beta testers will be able to load a virtual Hop card into Android Pay — giving them the ability to tap their phones to pay for their fares and receive all the benefits of a physical Hop card.”
Samsung integrates Hong Kong’s Octopus card into Samsung Pay
Samsung teams up with Octopus to launch exclusively the first “Smart Octopus” in Samsung Pay — Octopus Holdings — “Smart Octopus in Samsung Pay will enable NFC payment at all Octopus acceptance points, covering public transport as well as over 21,000 retail outlets, online shopping, recreational facilities, vending machines, self-service kiosks; plus the use of parking and access control facilities at residential or commercial premises.”
World’s thinnest smartwatch to include support for multiple NFC services
Fidesmo and Haikara collaborate on the future of smartwatches — Fidesmo — “Haikara is the world’s thinnest smartwatch that lasts for up to a week on one charge. It allows you to change your watch face to match your outfit and mood, and it looks great on your wrist. By using Fidesmo’s platform Haikara will enable their customers to pay, access their office building or use public transport.”