German football fans get HCE mobile payments

FC Kaiserslautern
PERFECT MATCH:  Fans can now make mobile payments at the Fritz Walter Stadium

Fans of the FC Kaiserslautern football team can now make host card emulation (HCE) mobile payments at snack kiosks across its Fritz Walter Stadium using a mobile app developed by Sandpiper Group member companies Payment Solution and Ergonomics.

“Payment is the first function supported by the Tap-It wallet,” the Swiss digital payments group says. “Additional features to enhance the match day experience will follow. Ticketing and couponing for business partners of the football club are already planned.”

“Reliable mobile network coverage can be difficult to maintain in football stadiums on match days,” Sandpiper adds. “Smartphone apps relying on online access may not be able to provide a consistent level of service. This is a challenge in time critical applications, such as payments at the food kiosks during breaks. By relying on state-of-the-art HCE (Host Card Emulation) technology, Payment Solution developed a secure and easy way to handle NFC payments in an offline mode, ie without access to a network.”

A video shows how the Tap-It wallet works:

“Thanks to HCE standard we provide a 100% secure and offline-capable payment system. Our cash registers keep on working even if there’s no WiFi or mobile network available.” says Sascha Busse, managing director of Payment Solution.

“The innovative smartphone technology will not only bring more convenience to fans and visitors of Kaiserslautern’s home matches, it will also help to improve communication with the fans and to strengthen their involvement.”

“We assume that other stadiums will follow,” Busse adds. “The technology is also available as a white-label solution. It can easily be integrated in existing smartphone apps of clubs and stadiums.”

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