The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has opened an investigation into whether companies such as Apple are in breach of competition rules if they limit the access payments apps have to a smartphone’s NFC chip and restrict a user’s choice of contactless in-store payment method on that device... More
Apple
Apple Pay to go live in Mexico “very soon”
Apple Pay is due to roll out in Mexico “very soon”, according to the payments service’s Mexican website... More
Octopus adds travel info and P2P NFC transfers to transit wallet
Octopus transit card holders in Hong Kong can now use their Octopus App to view travel information and transport services “at a glance” and transfer funds from one card to another via NFC... More
RTD Denver lets passengers buy tickets from within their Lyft app
Passengers using Regional Transportation District (RTD) transit services in the Denver metro region of the USA will soon be able to plan their journeys and buy tickets from directly within the Lyft ridesharing app... More
Contactless payment and instant credit ecosystem rolls out in UAE
Residents of the United Arab Emirates can now make in-app and in-store NFC and QR code-enabled contactless payments, international remittances, utility bill payments and P2P financial transfers and apply for instant credit using a single mobile payments app... More
Snapper lets transportation users top up their travel card with their iPhone
Passengers travelling on buses and cable cars in Wellington, New Zealand, can now use their iPhone to instantly top up their Snapper transit card, check their card balance, collect refunds and view concessions and travel passes... More
UBS launches sustainable credit card made from corn
Customers of Swiss bank UBS can now opt for an environmentally friendly credit card made from a corn-based plastic substitute — and will soon be able to apply for a digital-only card that they can start using immediately upon acceptance... More
Stocard rolls out mobile payments service in four more European countries
Leading European mobile loyalty wallet provider Stocard has expanded its Stocard Pay service to users in Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, enabling them to make in-store NFC payments in addition to using the wallet to access loyalty cards and redeem rewards... More
Maltese buses add contactless fare payments on busy routes
Bus passengers in Malta can now make on-board contactless payments for their fares on more of the island’s busier routes as Malta Public Transport moves towards implementing a fully integrated contactless system on all services in 2021... More
Google Pay to launch mobile-first bank accounts in the USA in 2021
Consumers in the USA will be able to open mobile-first checking and saving accounts with 11 banks and credit unions from within Google Pay from 2021, Google has revealed in a blog post that also announces the launch of a redesigned version of the Google Pay app for both Android and iOS... More
American Express adds instant digital card provisioning for Apple Pay
American Express cardholders in the USA can now add their card to their Apple Pay wallet via the card network’s website as soon as their application has been approved, removing the need to wait for a physical card to arrive or to manually input their card details... More
More than 500m iPhone users have now activated Apple Pay
The number of iPhone users globally that have activated Apple Pay has grown by 66m over the past year, from 441m in September 2019 to 507m in September 2020, according to a study published by Loup Ventures... More
Nottingham adds NFC top ups to Robin Hood transit card
Public transport users in Nottingham, UK, can now buy credit or an extension to their season ticket with their NFC mobile phone and then transfer it to their multi-operator Robin Hood transit card by simply tapping their card to their NFC device... More
Apple Pay to go live in Israel
Israeli payment services provider Isracard has become the first financial company in the country to announce that it is to enable cardholders with an iPhone to make payments using Apple Pay... More
Japanese café uses Apple’s new NFC App Clips to let customers order and pay with their mobile phone
Customers at the Kitasando Coffee shop in Tokyo can now tap an NFC tag with their iPhone to launch the company’s App Clip, place their order and then use Apple Pay to pay for their food and drink... More
Antelop lets banks provide their customers with a way to manage tokenized cards from within their mobile banking app
PARTNER NEWS: Antelop Solutions has launched a tokenized card management solution that makes it possible for banks to provide their customers with the ability to view, control, push, update and manage the card details that they have shared with all the different mobile wallet providers and ecommerce merchants they deal with — from within their mobile banking app... More
Google Pay drives user engagement with Go India travel game
Google Pay users in India can now earn rewards by taking part in a digital travel game and collecting ‘tickets’ for a virtual journey around the country every time they use the mobile payments service on either their Android or iOS device... More
American Airlines pilots mobile digital identity system
Passengers flying with American Airlines from Dallas Fort Worth International and Reagan Washington National airports in the USA are testing a touchless mobile identity system that allows them to verify their identity with their face at the check-in desk... More
NFC Forum reports on consumer attitudes and adoption trends across the world
Seven in ten consumers are confident with the security contactless cards/mobile wallets provide and 88% report a consistently positive user experience with NFC contactless technologies, a survey of consumers in nine countries around the world has found... More
CTA adds support for Apple Pay Express Transit for tap-and-go fare payments in Chicago
Passengers on Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus and train services can now use their iPhone or Apple Watch to make tap-and-go fare payments via Apple Pay’s Express Transit mode by uploading the authority’s Ventra transit card to their Apple Wallet... More