WeChat Pay operator Tencent is working with China UnionPay on the adoption of a common QR code that will allow merchants to use the same code to accept payments from both companies’ mobile payment services, Caixin Global reports... More
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Uber adds Las Vegas transit tickets to mobile app
Uber has added support for transit tickets issued by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) to its mobile app, enabling users to buy passes from within the app and then use their smartphone to board Las Vegas bus services... More
CIMB lets merchants accept payments on standard Android NFC phones
Merchants in Malaysia can now use an off-the-shelf Android NFC smartphone and an app developed by CIMB Bank to accept debit card payments valued at up to RM250 (US$61.08) — with no additional hardware required... More
Central bank pilots digital currency in the Bahamas
The Central Bank of The Bahamas has begun pilot testing a digital version of the Bahamian dollar that uses QR codes to let users make payments and transfer funds using their smartphones... More
Octopus lets iPhone users top up their cards via NFC
Public transportation users in Hong Kong can now use the NFC functionality in their Android or iOS device to top up their Octopus transit card, view their transaction history, check their balance and collect fare subsidies... More
ExxonMobil to let drivers use Alexa to pay for fuel at gas stations across the US
Drivers pulling into any of more than 11,500 Exxon and Mobil gas stations across the US will be able to pay for their fuel from their vehicles from later this year, by simply saying “Alexa, pay for gas”... More
Transport for NSW to pilot digital Opal card
Transport for NSW has announced plans to pilot a new digital version of its Opal transit card that will enable cardholders to “pay for all modes of transport — whether it be light rail, a bus, on demand service, taxi or Uber — with a single tap of their phone.”... More
Contactless payments expand to Miami bus services
Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works has rolled out support for contactless payments across its Metrobus fleet, making it possible for commuters to use contactless cards and NFC mobile phones to pay for both bus and rail fares across Miami, the sixth most densely populated city in the US... More
SEPTA to roll out NFC mobile ticketing in Philadelphia
SEPTA, the transportation authority for the Greater Philadelphia region in the US, is to add support for Google Pay and Apple Pay across its network of subway, rail, trolley and bus services from the “spring or early summer” of 2020... More
Koho issues metal contactless cards in Canada
Canadian neobank Koho has introduced a limited edition metal card that includes both contact and contactless functionality... More
Westpac begins Apple Pay rollout
Westpac, the last of the major Australian banks to hold out against the introduction of Apple Pay, has switched on support for the mobile payments service for customers of three of its smaller brands and has announced it will roll out support to its main customer base by June 2020... More
Deutsche Bank issues dynamic CVV cards in Spain
Customers of Deutsche Bank in Spain can now apply for a card that replaces the traditional, printed CVV number with a small screen integrated into the back of the card that displays a new CVV every four hours... More
Happy holidays from NFCW
NFCW is taking a short break for the festive season... More
MTA reports 4m contactless ticketing transactions
MTA expands Omny to Penn Station — New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority — “The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced today that its cutting-edge Omny contactless fare payment system is now available at the 34 St-Penn Station intermodal complex, one of the busiest transit hubs in North America… The news comes hot on the heels of another major milestone: the recent surpassing of 4m taps, far exceeding even the most optimistic usage projections.”
EBA Clearing publishes pan-European request to pay specs
EBA Clearing delivers specifications for a pan-European request to pay infrastructure solution — EBA Clearing — “A pan-European request to pay approach is seen as the missing piece of the puzzle for market players to create innovative payment products and services for their customers that leverage real-time messaging, the SEPA schemes and existing cost-efficient payment infrastructures, and that can be used across Europe.”
Sweden’s central bank to test digital currency
Riksbank develops an e-krona in a test environment — Riksbank — “During the first year of the e-krona pilot project, a technical platform will be developed with a user interface that enables, for instance, payment with the e-krona from a mobile phone, a card and a watch. The platform will also contain simulations of payment service providers, retail outlets and other parts of the Swedish payment system.”
NFC ticketing to go live on Washington DC trains and buses in 2020
Starting some time next year, you can tap into Metro with an IPhone — DCist — “The service will be available on Apple products first, but a Google spokesperson confirms that the company is also working with Metro to launch a mobile card for Android users in 2020… Once Apple turns on the service, it will be available to use at every station, on every bus, and in every parking garage on the system — anywhere SmarTrip can be used.”
Juniper forecasts 161m contactless POS terminals by 2024
Contactless point of sale installed base to exceed 161m by 2024 — Juniper Research — “New data from Juniper Research forecasts that the installed base of contactless-enabled POS (Point of Sale) devices will exceed 161m by 2024; growing from 78m in 2019. Contactless POS devices will then be 94% of all POS devices in use.”
Chinese fraudsters turn to QR codes to spread Trojans and viruses
QR code scams rise in China, putting e-payment security in spotlight — South China Morning Post — “By replacing legitimate merchants’ codes with malevolent copies, fraudsters can gain access to consumers’ data and even raid their bank accounts… According to one senior official and technology expert, almost a quarter of Trojans — malicious programs disguised as benign software – and other viruses are transmitted though QR codes.”
Report: US retailers must pay a premium for Apple Card transactions
Retailers don’t like paying the fees for your Apple Card — Bloomberg — “The card, marketed by Apple and backed by Goldman Sachs Group Inc, is designated ‘elite’, which allows it to levy significantly higher interchange fees on each swipe or tap… The cards have long irked retailers. They have no choice but to pay the higher fees for elite plastic if they want to accept any of a network’s credit cards.”