Research – Shoppers keen to set their own contactless card limit — Paymentsense — “Nearly half (48%) of shoppers would like to customise their contactless card transaction limit, or would like to the ability to do so, according to new research from Paymentsense. For those shoppers wanting a customisable limit, just over a quarter (26%) would immediately raise it, but nearly one in five people (18%) would lower it.”
United Kingdom
UK challenger bank Monzo lets account holders save funds in flexible pots
Launching Pots! — Monzo — “To help you save for specific things, we’ve created Pots: a simple way to set money aside within your main Monzo account. Whether you’re planning a trip around the world, looking to buy a new laptop, or simply saving for a rainy day, pots can help you work towards your modest goals and grandest plans… Creating a pot takes seconds, simply give it a name and add an image… You can set up multiple pots for different purposes, and see an overview of all your money under the Account tab in your app.”
Wembley to let fans store contactless tickets in their Apple Wallet
Contactless ticketing at Wembley Stadium — Wembley Stadium — “The innovation offers fans a new way to seamlessly and securely enter live events with contactless tickets added to Apple Wallet on their iPhone or Apple Watch… The integration of contactless tickets in Apple Wallet will simplify customers’ experience while enhancing security and fostering more personalised engagement with fans. As well as entering the stadium with their contactless tickets, fans can use Apple Pay to buy food and beverages with their iPhone or Apple Watch.”
UK supermarkets to test face recognition for proof-of-age at self-checkout tills
Supermarket self-service tills replace ID checks with facial recognition — The Telegraph — “The technology will be used to remove in-person age checks when customers are buying alcohol and other age restricted items… Using Yoti at a self service till would involve a QR code showing up on the checkout screen, which could be scanned by the app. The Yoti app would then scan the shopper’s face to confirm their identity, and would then connect to the till over the internet to verify the purchase.”
Challenger bank lets customers activate their debit card with their NFC phone
Tap to activate your debit card — Monzo — “If you use Monzo on Android (and have a device that supports NFC), you’ll now be able to activate your new Monzo debit card just by tapping it on your phone… Rather than typing in the card number, or even having to take a picture, simply tap your card and phone together to activate it immediately.”
Barclays trials digital receipt service
Fintech startup Flux partners with Barclays for itemised receipts — Techcrunch — “Flux, the London fintech startup founded by former early employees at Revolut, has announced a partnership with Barclays in the UK that will see it trial its itemised receipt technology with 10,000 of the bank’s customers… On the merchant side, the trial also sees Flux partnering with Barclaycard, which will provide the ability for merchants, via integration through their point-of-sale devices, to issue digital receipts to any customer.”
Facebook expands Messenger P2P payments to the UK
Facebook Messenger payments comes to UK — BBC News — “Facebook has chosen the UK as the first country outside the US to get its Messenger payments service… David Marcus, who runs Messenger, says it is obvious from our messages that we need this. ‘More and more people are having conversations on Messenger about paying one another,’ he explains. ‘As a result it’s a very natural place for you to have the most frictionless and secure way of paying each other.'”
UK challenger bank Starling adds support for Fitbit Pay
Digital challenger bank Starling is the first to support Fitbit Pay in the UK — City AM — “Customers of digital challenger Starling will be able to pay using their Fitbit smartwatch as it becomes the first bank in the UK to support Fitbit Pay… Starling added support for Apple Pay, which works on both the Apple Watch and iPhones, over the summer and Android Pay in September.”
UK contactless card users neglect to check the transaction amount
Consumers ‘not checking’ contactless purchases — Retail Systems — “More than three quarters (76%) of Britons have used contactless payments and 40% now make half or more of their card payments using contactless. However, nearly half (48%) are not always checking the amount before they tap to pay. Young people (those aged 18-34) are the least likely to check the amount before paying, with only four in ten (39%) doing so every time they pay. Customers aged 55 or over are more vigilant, with 62% saying they check the amount every time they use contactless.”
Esso lets UK drivers pay at the pump with their mobile phone
Esso App promises to increase sales by decreasing footfall — Better Retailing — “Esso is rolling out a mobile payments Esso App that allows drivers to pay for their fuel without getting out of their car… The technology works through the existing Epos system, and Esso says it is supporting traders in part funding the £1,000 (US$1,329) cost of installing the system… The technology is “significantly cheaper” than pay at pump terminals, which cost approximately £10,000 (US$13,292) per pump… The Esso App also allows forecourt traders to send tailored promotions to app users on their phones while they fill up.”
Mastercard promotes contactless card usage with free school meal donations
Every pay as you go journey in London made using a Mastercard will feed a child this October — Mastercard — “Touch in and out with your Mastercard on London’s transport network and we’ll provide a meal for one of the world’s hungriest children… For three weeks Mastercard will donate one school meal for every pay-as-you-go journey made on Transport for London (TfL) and National Rail Services in London using a contactless Mastercard, or a Mastercard loaded into Apple Pay, Android Pay or Samsung Pay… Each school meal costs just 20p, but the benefits last a lifetime.”
Hospital charity raises funds via NFC stickers
Norwich hospital charity introduces cashless donations for visitors — UK Fundraising — “Visitors to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals are now able to make donations to the NHS Trust charity using a variety of tap-to-donate tools ranging from vinyl stickers and ‘smart’ posters… The Trust is also using the technology to turn (charity-funded) wheelchairs into instant donation points.”
Timex adds contactless payments to watchstraps
Barclaycard teams up with Timex to launch contactless watch — Campaign — “In the new watch, named the Fairfield Contactless, bPay has been embedded in its leather strap and users can make purchases up to £30 (US$40). The watch retails for £159 (US$213) but the contactless straps can be purchased separately. It will be available for sale in early November.”
New protocol alerts users to encryption breaches
Computer scientists address gap in messaging privacy — University of Birmingham — “With current end-to-end encryption, if an attacker compromises a recipient’s device, they can then put themselves in a position to intercept, read and alter all future communications without sender or recipient ever knowing. The new protocol, published in IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security, forces attackers to leave evidence of any such activity and alerts users to take action.”
HSBC to let customers view accounts from multiple banks in one app
HSBC to let UK customers manage different bank accounts on one screen with new app — CNBC — “Customers can add accounts from up to 21 different banks, including Barclays, Lloyds and Bank of America. When a new account is added, login details for each account are tailored to that bank’s interface… The bank has spent US$2bn globally to work on its digital banking platform.”
UK supermarket pilots self-checkout service that lets shoppers scan and pay by smartphone
Sainsbury’s to launch app which helps customers avoid checkout queues — The Independent — “Sainsbury’s are currently testing the app at their London Euston station store meaning that shoppers can buy the £3 ‘On the Go’ meal deal by simply scanning the products and paying using their phone. As soon as payment is confirmed, customers are free to leave the store without the hassle of time-consuming queues.”
Contactless ‘beer wall’ lets students serve and pay for their own drinks
Reading University introduces self-serve 16-tap ‘beer wall’ — The Telegraph — “With students able to pour themselves a beer and pay with their contactless plastic or mobile wallet, the bars will have increased capacity, speedier service and a reduced threat of theft, claims Drink Command, the company behind the self-serve beer technology, which is also being rolled out in other bars across the UK and Ireland, including in Hilton Hotels.”
UK consumers warm to face verification at the point of sale
Shoppers give thumbs up to in-store biometrics — Worldpay — “Just under two thirds (63%) of consumers want to be able to use a biometric scan to authorise payments in-store. When it comes to using our body parts to pay, 69% of consumers say they’d be open to using a finger. But respondents are also beginning to come around to the idea of using their face (24%), iris (33%), and voice (18%) to identify themselves at the point of sale.”
Students test finger vein payments at UK supermarket
British supermarket offers ‘finger vein’ payment in worldwide first — The Telegraph — “It works by using infrared to scan people’s finger veins and then links this unique biometric map to their bank cards. Customers’ bank details are then stored with payment provider Worldpay, in the same way you can store your card details when shopping online. Shoppers can then turn up to the supermarket with nothing on them but their own hands and use it to make payments in just three seconds.”
Bank of England examines the technical requirements of central bank-issued digital currencies
Beyond blockchain: What are the technology requirements for a central bank digital currency? — Bank Underground — “What type of technology would you use if you wanted to create a central bank digital currency (CBDC) ie a national currency denominated, electronic, liability of the central bank? It is often assumed that blockchain, or distributed ledger technology (DLT), would be required; but although this could have some benefits (as well as challenges), it may not be necessary.”