Hungarian bank Erste has upgraded its Erste MobilePay application for Android phones to include NFC functionality, enabling customers to use their phones for contactless payment... More
Erste Bank adds NFC to its QR mobile payments app
Google adds support for in-store cash payments for apps
Google to allow users to pay for Android apps using cash — Techcrunch — “Instead of charging an attached credit card, for instance, the user can instead opt to receive a payment code which they can use to pay for their purchase using cash at a nearby store. Once at the store, the user shows the payment code to the cashier and pays. Within 10 minutes after completing the transaction, the user will receive their purchase and an email with their proof of payment.”
Google to drop support for Android Beam NFC P2P transfers
Android Q won’t have Android Beam — Techradar — “Android Beam, the NFC sharing method where you put two phones back to back to transfer photos, videos, and other files, is nowhere to be found in the ongoing Android Q beta… At Google IO, we found out that it’s not coming back, either, according to the reps we talked to who are working on Android updates.”
Octopus equips Hong Kong taxi drivers with NFC payments
Transit card issuer Octopus Cards Limited (OCL) has partnered with Hong Kong Taxi Council (HKTC) to provide local taxi drivers with the ability to use their NFC phone to accept payments for cab rides from Octopus card users... More
Zola hails success of NFC tags in NYC pop-up store
US wedding planning and list specialist Zola says using NFC in its bricks and mortar pop-up store in New York City has helped to bring the showroom to life and been well received by its customers who use it to build their wedding gift lists... More
Google Pay goes live in Switzerland
Google Pay rolls out in Switzerland with support for Cornèrcard, Swiss Bankers, and more — Android Police — “Google Pay’s support documents speak of a rollout for customers of Cornèrcard, Bonuscard, Swiss Bankers, Revolut, and Boon… Today’s rollout makes Switzerland the 29th country [Google] Pay is available in.”
Standard Chartered adds instant credit card and loan issuance to its Singapore banking app
Standard Chartered has become the first bank in Singapore to offer customers the ability to use its mobile banking app to apply for loans and credit cards — and, if approved, have a digital version of their new credit card instantly provisioned to their Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay digital wallet so they can make payments... More
KBC reports on take-up of non-banking services following wearables payments trial expansion
Belgian bank KBC has reported on the take-up of the non-banking services such as car parking and transit ticketing that it has been adding to its mobile banking app since launching it last summer... More
Amazon launches P2P payments in India
Amazon Pay launches person to person (P2P) payments through UPI for Android customers — Amazon — “Customers can use this functionality to settle bills/expenses with friends, lend/return money to family, pay rents, pay for services like house-help, newspaper bills, milk subscription and more. Customers can also make payments from their bank account to local stores nearby or to [an] Amazon delivery associate at [the] doorstep by scanning UPI QR codes using the Amazon app.”
Google Pay rolls out Gmail integration that lets users automatically import tickets, coupons and loyalty cards from email
Google has begun rolling out a new feature that scans a Gmail user’s inbox and then automatically adds any coupons, loyalty cards, airline boarding passes and movie tickets that it finds to their Google Pay wallet... More
Google turns Android phones into Fido security keys
The ultimate account security is now in your pocket — Google — “We consider security keys based on Fido standards, like our Titan Security Key, to be the strongest, most phishing-resistant method of 2SV [Two-step verification] on the market today… Now, you have one more option — and it’s already in your pocket. Starting today in beta, your phone can be your security key — it’s built into devices running Android 7.0+.”
Singapore extends contactless transit payments with value-added services
Travellers in Singapore can now use their contactless Mastercard debit or credit card as a travel ticket on trains and buses while also improving the user experience through travel information sent directly to a smartphone app... More
Stance lets customers use their phones to self checkout anywhere in store
Specialist sock retailer Stance is enabling customers to pay for products on their mobile phones from anywhere in its stores — without them having to visit a physical checkout desk, talk with a shop assistant or download an app... More
Walmart to let customers shop for groceries with their voice
Want Walmart to help you grocery shop? With our new voice capabilities, just say the word — Walmart — “Beginning this month, customers can say: ‘Hey Google, talk to Walmart’ and the Google Assistant will add items directly to their Walmart Grocery cart. Best of all, customers can be extra confident that we can quickly and accurately identify the items they are asking for with the help of information from their prior purchases with us. The more you use it, the better we’ll get.”
Johns Hopkins University rolls out support for iOS and Android campus cards
Johns Hopkins University (JHU) has become the fifth university in the US to enable its students to load their campus card onto their iPhone or Apple Watch... More
Google Pay to integrate with Google Maps for transit card top ups
Google Pay says G’day to Mobile Myki — Google — “If you’re a Myki user in Melbourne or regional Victoria, you can now skip the line and get there faster with Google Pay… Soon, you’ll also be able to see your current balance in Google Maps when you’re planning your Myki journey, and initiate your top-up from there.”
Public Transport Victoria picks NXP’s Mifare 2GO platform for multimodal NFC ticketing
NXP takes Melbourne Transit (Myki) mobile with Google Pay integration for trains, buses and trams — NXP — PARTNER NEWS — “NXP’s Mifare 2GO cloud service is the first to work with Google Pay to enable mobile ticketing in multiple transportation modes and scalability across all compatible Android NFC-enabled phones, giving citizens convenient and efficient travel options in smart cities.”
Public Transport Victoria to add Myki transit cards to Google Pay
Mobile Myki — Public Transport Victoria — “Mobile Myki is a digital Myki on your Android phone. From Thursday 28 March 2019 it will be available on the Google Pay app… Mobile Myki uses all of the existing Myki gates and readers on Melbourne’s trams, at train stations and on Myki-enabled buses across Victoria. The new technology uses Google Pay on the Android operating system and allows passengers to purchase Full fare, Concession, Child and Senior Mykis using both Myki Money and Myki Pass.”
European airlines add support for Google Pay
Air France, KLM, EasyJet, Lufthansa and Ryanair have all begun adding support for Google Pay, enabling flyers to save their boarding passes to the service when they use an airline’s app to buy a ticket... More
Google releases Android Q Beta with added biometric authentication support
Introducing Android Q Beta — Google — “In Android Q we’re extending support for passive authentication methods such as face, and adding implicit and explicit authentication flows. In the explicit flow, the user must explicitly confirm the transaction in the TEE during the authentication. The implicit flow is designed for a lighter-weight alternative for transactions with passive authentication. We’ve also improved the fallback for device credentials when needed.”