Every pay as you go journey in London made using a Mastercard will feed a child this October — Mastercard — “Touch in and out with your Mastercard on London’s transport network and we’ll provide a meal for one of the world’s hungriest children… For three weeks Mastercard will donate one school meal for every pay-as-you-go journey made on Transport for London (TfL) and National Rail Services in London using a contactless Mastercard, or a Mastercard loaded into Apple Pay, Android Pay or Samsung Pay… Each school meal costs just 20p, but the benefits last a lifetime.”
Travel and ticketing
Dubai to add loyalty points to transit card
Dubai’s RTA to introduce loyalty programme for Nol cards — Gulf Business — “The programme, called Nol+, will be available to the public by the end of this year. Cardholders will receive points for using them to pay for fares of public transport means, parking fees, entering public parks, and visiting the Etihad Museum. The points will then be converted into coupon vouchers offering free services in cafes, restaurants and entertainment centres.”
Tesla taxis to check in passengers as they travel to the airport
Travelling from home to Dubai airport set to be a breeze — Khaleej Times — “You board an electric car to the Dubai International Airport, and by the time you get there, all your travel formalities are done… A camera inside the car uses facial recognition to send all relevant data to smart immigration gates. The boarding pass will be sent directly to the counter, and the traveller can go straight to the boarding gate.”
Poland’s Bank Zachodni WBK adds ticket purchasing to mobile app
A bank will give you entertainment through its banking app — Finanteq — “Today the bank officially launched a new functionality in its mobile banking application — Cultural Events. From now on, if customers would like to go to a concert, cabaret show, theatrical performance or festival all they have to do is open the application and buy a ticket for the selected event. The funds for the payment are transferred directly from customer’s current account.”
Moscow Metro to offer contactless payment rings to commuters
Moscow Metro to introduce fare payment rings — The Moscow Times — “The gadget will allow commuters to pay their fare anywhere that accepts the Troika transport card. The pass gives commuters access to Moscow’s bus, train and metro systems and is currently used by an estimated 10.5 million people… The payment rings will go on sale at the Moscow metro’s two souvenir shops and kiosks at a dozen stations across the Russian capital.”
Baseball team uses iOS 11 to issue NFC tickets to fans
An MLB team is using the iPhone’s NFC feature for contactless stadium entry — Techcrunch — “The Oakland Athletics are piloting a new NFC ticketing solution which lets fans enter the stadium by tapping their phone (or Apple Watch) to a ticket scanner — just like you’d do to use Apple Pay. The feature uses the NFC technology that is used for contactless rewards cards (like Walgreens Balance Rewards) via Apple Pay, and this is the first time the technology is being used outside of reward cards or stored balance gift cards.”
UnionPay rolls out Apple Pay transit payments in Guangzhou
Buses and subways to become new battlefield for mobile payments — South China Morning Post — “Commuters with UnionPay cards can now pay for their ride with their iPhone or Apple Watch at more than 6,000 subway gates at all stations in the city… Payments will be possible using technology called offline data authentication (ODA), and can be completed regardless of an internet connection… UnionPay estimates 90bn individual trips are made using Chinese buses and subways annually.”
Gateless transit ticketing system to be piloted in the UK
Your face could be your ticket at the Tube station of the future — Wired — “One of the problems Cubic is trying to solve is the bottleneck that occurs at ticket gates when everyone rushes to dig out their ticket or pass. To avoid this crush, Cubic suggests removing the gates completely. Instead, its prototype system uses an object tracking system to track passengers as they walk through… Cubic aims to get this gateless tracking system to a UK station within the year.”
Singapore to add mobile options to contactless transit payments trial
Parliament: Cashless trial for public transport to be extended to more payment types from next year — The Straits Times — “A trial system that allows commuters to pay their public transport fares using contactless credit or debit cards will be extended to more payment types including Visa and Nets 2.0 from next June (2018). Mobile payment modes — such as Android Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay — will also be available from the first quarter of next year as part of the trial.”
London’s commuters can now top up their travel cards by smartphone
New TfL app enables passengers to top up their Oyster card ‘on the go’ — Transport for London — “The new app, which was designed by TfL and developed by Cubic Transportation Systems, is free to download via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store and enables customers to use their smartphone to quickly add pay-as-you-go credit or Travelcards to their Oyster card. These can then be added after 30 minutes by simply touching the Oyster card on the yellow card reader at any Tube or rail station, tram stop or River Bus pier as part of a journey.”
Deutsche Telekom to deploy smart parking and payments across the German city of Bonn
Mobile network operator Deutsche Telekom has signed a deal with the city of Bonn to install a network of sensors that will alert drivers to available parking spots and enable them to pay for their space using their mobile phone... More
British Airways owner IAG launches mobile pay on new airline Level
British Airways owner IAG launches mobile pay on new airline Level — City AM — “The technology, called Pair & Pay, will enable customers to connect mobile devices with their individual seatback screen to buy food, drinks, Wi-Fi packages, and duty-free products… Once selected items have been added to the shopping cart on the screen, passengers then connect their devices to the onboard network and pair their phone with the seatback, and can then use their phone to pay for the products.”
Heat become first NBA team with mobile-only entry
Heat become first NBA team with mobile-only entry — ESPN — “The Miami Heat announced Thursday that fans who attend home games this upcoming season will only be able to get through the gate with tickets on their phones… Teams are gradually shifting to mobile tickets, they say, in part to reduce fraud, but also to get valuable information about the fan who actually winds up in a specific seat.”
Bank issues primary school kids with NFC smartwatches that let them make payments and track pocket money
Singapore’s POSB bank has provided 6,000 primary school children with smartwatches equipped with fitness tracking and mobile payments capabilities in a bid to “teach students how to save and spend wisely by helping them track their savings and spending habits digitally.”... More
More than half the Hilton portfolio to be digital key enabled by end of year
More than half the Hilton portfolio to be digital key enabled by end of year — Hilton — “Hilton Honors members have widely adopted the app’s technology features and continue to set new records for usage and engagement, including 30m digital check-ins, three million room key downloads and more than 13.6m doors opened. In the month of July, a door was unlocked with Digital Key every two seconds.”
Soon, walk into metro station without taking your card from pocket
Soon, walk into metro station without taking your card from pocket — The Times of India — “Chennai Metro Rail Limited has invited tenders to introduce contactless smart cards which can be detected by scanners at stations even if the passenger keeps it in the pocket or a bag. The ticket price will be deducted once the passenger passes by the detector at the entrance to the platforms. These cards may later be used for other modes of transport as well.”
How facial recognition could replace train tickets
How facial recognition could replace train tickets — BBC News — “A facial recognition system designed to replace the need for tickets on trains is being tested in the UK… An early version that uses two near-infrared lights to help a single camera determine texture and orientation of each pixel it captures was shown to BBC Click… Researchers told the programme that they believe it will successfully identify passengers without the need for them to stop walking and could replace ticket gates.”
Facial recognition technology to replace passports at Australian airports
Facial recognition technology to replace passports at Australian airports — ZDNet — “New technology will be rolled out at Australian airports that will eventually see the end of ‘known passengers’ producing their passports when arriving in the country. Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton said on Wednesday the new AU$22.5 million, three-year contract will initially see 105 new smartgates rolled out that will enable passengers to be processed using facial recognition.”
TfL makes it easier to top up Oyster cards while on the go
TfL makes it easier to top up Oyster cards while on the go — Transport for London — “Next month, the new TfL app will launch, allowing customers to top up their Oyster card with pay-as-you-go credit and buy Travelcards wherever they are… It will also allow customers to check how much credit they have on their Oyster card and also provide, for the first time, a ‘low balance’ alert direct on their mobile to help customers ensure they have enough pay-as-you-go credit before they travel.”
Dubai’s Nol cards can now be used for payment at 1,000 retail units
Dubai’s Nol cards can now be used for payment at 1,000 retail units — Gulf Business — “Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced that Nol cards can now be used to make payments at more than 1,000 selected retail outlets… Nol cards are used to pay for public transport systems such as the Metro, Tram, buses and water taxis… The network of retailers accepting Nol cards is projected to exceed 5,000 by the end of this year.”