Public transportation users in Sydney, Australia, are now using their contactless debit card, credit card or linked device to make 1.5m journeys a week, Transport for NSW has revealed... More
Australia
Visa to let merchants accept contactless payments on Android NFC phones
Visa has unveiled Tap to Phone, a new software-only solution that enables merchants to accept contactless payments on Android NFC mobile phones, without the need for any additional hardware... 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
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
Mastercard pilots decentralized digital identities
Mastercard brings digital identity to real world tests — Mastercard — “The pilot will test a new way for people to prove their identity without having to carry multiple documents. Instead, the model allows the data to sit with its rightful owner — the user. It will activate a distributed model that blends information stored on an individual’s mobile device and verified by additional reference points, such as an individual’s bank or participating government agencies.”
Merivale to let Sydney diners tap table tags to order food and drinks
Merivale kingpin Justin Hemmes is backing restaurant ordering app me&u — Business Insider Australia — “The app uses a beacon and near field communication technology (NFC) to order and pay for your meal on your phone while you’re at a restaurant, cutting out the process of having to flag down a waiter.”
Mastercard reports on wearable payments adoption
The volume of transactions made using wearable devices has seen an eightfold increase in Europe over the past 12 months, Mastercard reports, while Australia tops the list of countries where most wearable payments are now being made.... More
Samsung adds Promoted Cards to Samsung Pay in Australia
Samsung has teamed up with financial services comparison site Finder to add a credit card shopping feature to Samsung Pay, “enabling everyday Australians to discover compelling credit card offers from participating financial institutions” from within its mobile wallet... More
Suncorp Stadium reports on NFC event ticketing adoption rates
Fifteen thousand fans have now made use of the NFC-based mobile ticketing system which went live at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia, in May 2019, venue management company ASM Global has revealed... More
Translink to pilot NFC tags at Queensland bus stops
Public transportation agency Translink is exploring the use of NFC technology as a replacement for paper timetables at bus stops in the Australian state of Queensland, iTNews reports... More
eMarketer identifies top countries for mobile payments adoption
China remains the country with by far the highest mobile payments adoption rate, with 81.1% of smartphone owners making use of the technology, eMarketer reports... More
Transport for NSW launches Opal Connect transportation payments platform
Australia’s Transport for NSW has introduced Opal Connect, a new service that aims to become “a one stop shop for all transport transactions and information, whether it is public transport, rideshare, taxis, parking and even tolling”... More
Queensland tests express ticketing gates for open loop contactless ticketing project
The Australian state of Queensland has begun the first of a series of pilots ahead of the rollout of its A$371m (US$249m) Smart Ticketing system, due to go live in 2022. A one-month pilot of new express ticketing gates is taking place at Brisbane’s Central Station More
UnionPay reports 200m mobile payments users
There are now more than 200 million users of the UnionPay mobile payments app, the China-based payments network reports, and more than 3m merchants outside mainland China now accept UnionPay mobile payments... More
Australia Post adds support for iPhone NFC passport reading
Australia Post has added support for iPhone NFC passport reading to its Digital iD service, enabling Australian residents to use their smartphone to register with the government-approved platform and then use their new digital identity for a wide range of applications — from opening a bank account to providing proof of age in a bar... More
Transport for NSW completes rollout of open loop contactless ticketing
Public transportation users in Sydney, Australia, are now able to use contactless bank cards, NFC phones or wearable devices to pay for travel across the entire Transport for New South Wales network, including bus services... More
Bluey Merino to use NFC tags to guarantee the authenticity of its clothing
Bluey Merino, an Australian active and outdoor clothing brand that produces garments exclusively made from premium Merino wool, has developed NFC labels that customers can use to confirm the origin of the wool in their new product by simply scanning the label with their NFC mobile phone... More
NAB to integrate receipts into mobile banking app
Customers of National Australia Bank will be able to begin viewing receipts for their purchases from within their mobile banking app from later this year... More
7-Eleven brings mobile self-checkout to New York stores
Shoppers at 7-Eleven stores in New York can now use their mobile phones to self-checkout and pay for their purchases, the convenience store giant has announced. “Mobile Checkout takes convenience to the next level, letting customers in New York City skip the checkout.” More
DIG puts premium wines on blockchain NFC authentication platform
Chinese buyers of premium wines are now able to verify the authenticity of their purchase using the Wine Traceability Platform (WTP), a blockchain-based NFC service designed to protect Chinese consumers against the growing problem of fake wines... More