US consumers will be given exclusive offers and discounts on purchases when they choose to make a payment using Apple Pay in stores across the Hayes Valley Shopping District and San Francisco Marina as part of Apple’s Lose your Wallet promotion... More
San Francisco
US airport stores to automatically file expense reports for business travellers
Business travellers will soon be able to make in-store purchases at select retailers and restaurants inside three US airports and have their expenses automatically submitted on their behalf through the point-of-sale system so that they “don’t need to worry about creating an expense claim down the line”. More
Google to shut down Hands Free mobile payments pilot
Google is ending its Hands Free mobile payments pilot in one week’s time in order to focus its efforts on “bringing the best of the Hands Free technology to a wider audience,” according to the company... More
Apple Pay targets US retail and transport expansion
Apple Pay is now accepted by 35% of US retailers, representing about 4m locations across the country, Apple VP Jennifer Bailey has revealed during the Re/code Code Commerce event in San Francisco... More
Visa CEO Charlie Scharf steps down
Visa CEO Charlie Scharf will resign on 1 December 2016 to be replaced by current Visa board member, and former president of American Express, Alfred F Kelly Jr... More
Bank of America adds Android Pay withdrawals at ATMs
Bank of America (BofA) customers can now make cash withdrawals at ATMs in the US using their mobile phone and Google’s Android Pay mobile payment service, the bank has announced at this week’s Google I/O conference... More
US Smart City Challenge adds NXP’s RFID tagging solutions
PARTNER NEWS: The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has expanded its Smart City Challenge initiative to include NXP’s RFID tagging solutions and smart card ICs... More
Android Pay to expand into Europe ‘soon’
Google is actively working towards launching Android Pay in Europe, director of emerging platforms Spencer Spinnell has revealed at Money20/20 Europe... More
Google pilots hands-free payments in San Francisco
Shoppers in San Francisco’s South Bay area are being invited to take part in a pilot test of Hands Free, a payment service developed by Google that uses a combination of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi and location services to let consumers make in-store payments without taking their mobile phone out of their pocket. More
Super Bowl fans explore Bay Area with BLE beacons
Attendees at Super Bowl 50 over the weekend were notified of related events, points of interest and prizes on their smartphones via a mobile app and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons installed in locations across the San Francisco Bay Area... More
Estimote raises US$10.7m
Beacon manufacturer Estimote has raised US$10.7m in a Series A investment round led by Javelin Venture Partners... More
Facebook pilots Buy Tickets button
Facebook has begun piloting a service that allows users to buy concert tickets through the social network’s event pages using a Buy Tickets button... More
Chevron to offer NFC mobile payments at the pump
Oil and gas company Chevron has teamed up with Visa to offer mobile payments at the pump at 20 locations in San Francisco and Silicon Valley from “later this fall”... More
Samsung Pay gets seven city US promo tour
Samsung is to run a seven city tour to promote the launch of Samsung Pay in the US... More
Velocity acquires mobile payments app Cover
Restaurant payment app Velocity has acquired mobile payments solution Cover for an undisclosed sum... More
Target tests Bluetooth beacons in 50 US stores
US retail giant Target has begun testing Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons in 50 stores nationwide to send deals and recommendations on nearby products directly to a shopper’s smartphone running the retailer’s iOS mobile app... More
Google to trial hands-free mobile payments
Google has announced it will pilot a new payment service in the San Francisco Bay area later this year that will let users make hands-free, in-store mobile payments without having to get their phone out of their pocket... More
Sephora adds Apple Pay
Cosmetics store chain Sephora has rolled out support for Apple Pay in all five of its Bay Area stores in the US and is also testing NFC payments acceptance in one Manhattan location in New York... More
Macy’s unveils mobile payments and customer marketing plans
Macy’s Inc, owner of the Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s department store chains, has unveiled plans to implement a range of new technologies designed to provide an omnichannel shopping service to its customers... More
Levi’s Stadium adds BLE beacons
The Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco has installed 1,700 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons that can be used “to give people pinpoint directions to their seats as well as to any other place in the stadium,” Time reports... More