Australian banking group ANZ has begun an NFC payments field trial and announced plans to launch a commercial service in 2013.

The small pilot project uses Samsung Galaxy S III Android phones. “ANZ has selected Android based on customer feedback that their preference is for built-in NFC support rather than requiring an additional component such as an NFC-enabled cover or memory card”, says the bank, which tested a microSD-based NFC solution last year.

“Customers who use multiple payment cards and who would prefer to live in a cashless world will enjoy the benefits of the ANZ mobile wallet,” ANZ adds.

Customers will be able to securely transfer and store a single ANZ card or multiple ANZ cards on their phone and use those cards to transact at contactless terminals by simply holding their device close to the payment terminal, says ANZ. “No PIN code will be required for transactions under A$100 (US$101.80), payments will be charged directly to customers’ accounts, and customers will see an electronic receipt on their mobile phone screen immediately following their transactions.”

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