Discover cardmembers now have ability to redeem Cashback Bonus rewards with Apple Pay — Discover Financial Services — “‘Cashback Bonus redemption through Apple Pay can happen in just two touches for Discover cardmembers,’ said Szabolcs Paldy, vice president of e-business for Discover… ‘Customer experience hinges on embracing mobile-first technologies like Apple Pay, and this new ability will make Cashback Bonus redemption even easier and more convenient for our cardmembers.’”
USA
Wells Fargo adds NFC cash withdrawals at 5,000 ATMs
More than 5,000 Wells Fargo ATMs launch NFC-enabled mobile wallet capability — Wells Fargo — “A customer can initiate an ATM transaction by signing into leading mobile wallet features, such as Wells Fargo Wallet for Android, Apple Pay, Android Pay or Samsung Pay, found on mobile phones. They simply hold their phone or wearable device with mobile payment functionality near an NFC-enabled ATM terminal… The customer will then input their Wells Fargo Debit or EasyPay card personal identification number (PIN) and complete their transaction.”
Nacha selects first five US payment APIs
Nacha’s API Standardization Industry Group names first five APIs to develop to support payments industry advancement — Nacha — “The API Standardization Industry Group, formally created in spring 2017, is working to further efforts to standardize the use of APIs in the US financial services industry by creating an ‘API playbook’ or standards framework. In support of that effort, during its most recent meeting, the API Standardization Industry Group named the first five APIs — from a larger list of 16 — that it will develop to support payments industry advancement.”
US government to explore new national ID concepts
The White House and Equifax agree: Social security numbers should go — Bloomberg — “The Trump administration is exploring ways to replace the use of Social Security numbers as the main method of assuring people’s identities in the wake of consumer credit agency Equifax Inc’s massive data breach. The administration has called on federal departments and agencies to look into the vulnerabilities of employing the identifier tied to retirement benefits, as well as how to replace the existing system.”
Shake Shack to open cashless kiosk in New York
Shake Shack to open cashless, kiosk-only location in New York City — CNBC — “Located in Astor Place, this Shake Shack won’t have a cashier’s counter. Instead, guests will use digital kiosks or their mobile phones to place orders. Manning these kiosks will be “hospitality champs,” Shake Shack employees who specialize in making customers’ time in the restaurant as seamless and enjoyable as possible.”
Mastercard applies for blockchain B2B payments patent
Method and system for recording point to point transaction processing — USPTO — “The present disclosure relates to the recording, processing, and displaying of point to point transactions, specifically providing a trade directory of parties in a secure environment, a ledger of transactions, and the settlement of aggregated person-to-person (P2P) and business-to-business (B2B) electronic payment transactions between bank accounts and third parties using a single transaction processing system.”
Walmart tests smart lock delivery service
Why the future could mean delivery straight into your fridge — Walmart — “Here’s how the test will work: I place an order on Walmart.com for several items, even groceries. When my order is ready, a Deliv driver will retrieve my items and bring them to my home. If no one answers the doorbell, he or she will have a one-time passcode that I’ve pre-authorized which will open my home’s smart lock.”
Huawei Pay to launch in the US?
Huawei Pay to launch on Android in the US, trademark suggests — Android Headlines — “The Huawei Pay Android service may be coming to the United States, as suggested by a new trademark application which the Chinese original equipment manufacturer submitted to the US Patent and Trademark office on Saturday… News of Huawei’s latest move comes less than a month after the Shenzhen, China-based tech giant filed for an identical trademark in Europe where the European Union Intellectual Property Office is also still examining its request.”
US iPhone users ‘unlikely’ to use Face ID for payments
40% of Apple users to spurn facial recognition, according to Juniper survey — Juniper Research — “A new survey conducted by Juniper Research has found that over 40% of iOS users in the US consider themselves unlikely to use facial recognition as a payment security technology… Contactless payment users considered fingerprint sensors and voice recognition more appealing authentication methods, with 74% and 62% respectively saying they are likely to use these technologies.”
Nike to connect with basketball fans via NFC tags in NBA jerseys
Nike and NBA introduce new statement edition uniform, first on-court hooded jacket and the first NBA Connected Jersey, the future of fan apparel — Nike — “Using new NikeConnect technology, each adult-sized Nike NBA Connected Jersey will have an embedded NFC chip that will launch real-time team and player content such as pregame arrival footage, highlight packages and top players’ favorite music playlists — all on the jersey owner’s mobile device. Throughout the season, a wealth of exclusive offers and experiences will bring fans closer to the game they love.”
Federal Trade Commission to investigate Equifax data breach
FTC probes Equifax, top Democrat likens it to Enron — Reuters — “The US Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday it was investigating Equifax Inc’s massive data breach, and a top Democrat suggested the credit monitoring company’s corporate leaders might need to resign… Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer compared Equifax to Enron, the US energy company that filed for bankruptcy in 2001 after revelations of a widespread accounting fraud.”
US Senator asks Apple CEO to clarify Face ID privacy concerns
Sen Franken presses Apple to address privacy concerns over iPhone X’s ‘Face ID’ technology — Senator Al Franken — “Substantial questions remain about how Face ID will impact iPhone users’ privacy and security, and whether the technology will perform equally well on different groups of people. To offer clarity to the millions of Americans who use your products, I ask that you provide more information on how the company has processed these issues internally, as well as any additional steps that it intends to take to protect its users.”
More than half of consumers in US, Canada and UK expect to abandon cash in next two years
Consumers to abandon cash by 2020 — Paysafe — “In Canada and the UK, contactless has paved the way for this new era of payments, with three out of five consumers regularly using it for purchases, 62% citing it as more convenient than cash, and 44% stating they preferred to shop in places that take contactless… However, it is America that is very much leading the way in new payment methods with nearly a third (31%) using mobile wallets and one in seven using cryptocurrencies.”
Venmo moves into merchant payment processing
Venmo will allow users to pay at merchants like Williams-Sonoma — Recode — “Venmo oversaw US$8bn in transactions in Q2 of 2017, double what it did the year before, but has yet to find a way to monetize since the regular service is free. Merchant processing fees from partnerships like Williams-Sonoma would be the first step in making money from transactions… Earlier this year, Venmo started testing a physical debit card in which Venmo customers could use their balance toward purchases at all retailers.”
US carriers to enter mobile authentication market
AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon team to develop mobile authentication solution — AT&T — “AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon are joining forces and resources through the creation of the Mobile Authentication Taskforce. The mission of this taskforce is to develop a mobile authentication solution for enterprises and customers in 2018.”
Half of US stores are now equipped to process chip cards
Chip-enabled merchants up; Counterfeit fraud down — Visa — “As of the end of June 2017, 2.3m US merchant locations, 50% of storefronts, are chip enabled. And with more than 449m Visa chip cards in the country, representing 62% of Visa cards, counterfeit fraud has continued to decline — 58% at chip-enabled merchants in March 2017 when compared to March 2016.”
Bank of America rolls out cardless ATM withdrawals
Bank of America debuts new mobile tools focused on personalization — Bank of America — “Customers can now start an ATM withdrawal directly from their mobile banking app. Customers simply log into the app and select the desired amount to withdraw. When they arrive at the ATM, they can either use their smartphone or debit card, enter their pin, and a personalized screen will display asking the customer if they are here to complete the withdrawal, which eliminates four steps at the ATM.”
eMarketer releases latest estimates for US proximity mobile payments
eMarketer releases latest estimates for US proximity mobile payments — eMarketer — “eMarketer estimates the value of US proximity mobile payment transactions will total US$49.29 billion in 2017, up 78.1% from last year… The average annual spend per proximity mobile payment user in the US will reach US$1,026 in 2017, surpassing US$1,000 for the first time. That figure will continue to grow through 2021, when it will reach US$2,646.”
Garmin enters the payments market with Vivoactive smartwatch
Garmin has unveiled a GPS-enabled smartwatch that includes an NFC contactless payments service called Garmin Pay which supports cards from both Visa and Mastercard and enables the wearer to “make secure payments from the watch, no phone or wallet required.”... More
American Express introduces Pay It Plan It: A mobile feature that gives card members two new ways to pay for credit card purchases
American Express introduces Pay It Plan It: A mobile feature that gives card members two new ways to pay for credit card purchases — American Express — “With Pay It, card members can use their American Express app to select smaller purchases and pay that purchase amount right away with a tap. With Plan It, card members can select purchases over US$100 and choose to make monthly payments ranging from three to 24 months with a fixed fee and no interest.”