Orange, Barclaycard team on NFC mobile payments in UK
updated 07:00 pm EDT, Fri May 20, 2011
UK’s first contactless mobile payment service
UK cell provider Orange and Barclaycard have teamed up to launch Quick Tap, a contactless NFC mobile payment service. Using a phone with a specially enabled SIM card, a customer can pay for a purchase simply by touching it to a retailer's contactless reader. Currently there is a limit of £15 ($25 US) for each transaction.
“This is the first time that customers can use their mobile to pay for goods and services in shops across the UK rather than using cards or cash," said David Chan, CEO of Barclaycard Consumer Europe. "They’ll be able to do this, safe in the knowledge that this is a secure technology."
Initially, the service will be available on Samsung Tocco Lite phones. Capability on other phones will come over time.
The Quick Tap app contains information including purchase details so customers can keep an eye on their spending and manage finances.
As a launch incentive, Barclaycard is providing Orange customers with £10 cash added to their account upon activation, and 10 percent cash back on all Quick Tap purchases made in the first three months.
NFC (near-field communications) mobile payment systems are seeing increased deployment. In April, Visa announced that it would launch an NFC mobile wallet in the US this fall. Much of it has been waiting on devices, though Google, RIM, and possibly Apple will all have NFC wireless available in the fall.
