UniCredit launches mobile contactless payments service in Slovakia

The Slovak bank is providing customers with MasterCard-branded contactless stickers that can be attached to the back of their mobile phones and used to make payments at more than 3,000 contactless card acceptance points currently in place in Slovakia.

Gemalto's Optelio contactless sticker
UNICREDIT: Optelio stickers will allow payments of up to €20 without a PIN

UniCredit Slovakia has launched a commercial payments service using Optelio contactless stickers supplied by Gemalto.

The bank, part of the UniCredit Group which operates through 9,600 branches in 22 countries, is the first to market with a contactless debit payment service in Slovakia. UniCredit customers will be able to attach the Optelio microprocessor-based contactless stickers to the reverse of their mobile phone and then use them to make payments under €20 without entering a PIN. Larger transactions will also be allowed, providing a PIN code is entered.

Payments can be made in fast food restaurants, cinemas, supermarkets and other retail outlets across Slovakia, where more than 3,000 contactless card acceptance points have already been installed.

“The MasterCard Paypass sticker, which we named StickAir, is another unique product modelled upon requests and needs of customers of UniCredit Bank,” says Monika Kohútová, head of UniCredit’s retail banking division. “It can be issued in relation to any current account open with UniCredit Bank and our customers can affix the StickAir wherever they want, like for example to the rear of their cell phone. Consumers are already accustomed to swiping their travel card to ride the public transportation in Slovakia so we believe contactless technology will also gain user adoption in the payment domain.”

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