BBVA has become the first bank to launch a commercial NFC payments service that makes use of Visa’s cloud-based payments specifications. Customers in Spain with an Android NFC handset can use host card emulation (HCE) to make contactless payments today and the service will be extended to customers in the US, Mexico and Chile later this year. More
Twenty bars and restaurants in New York are using a new service that combines mobile payments with social networking, enabling customers to pay their tab, meet up and communicate with friends and send ‘Goodies’ like drinks and food to their contacts. More
LevelUp has added in-app surveys to its mobile payments platform, enabling restaurant owners to collect feedback from customers and respond straight away to any complaints. The idea, LevelUp says, is to give merchants a way to identify and instantly resolve any problems before a diner has the chance to tell friends or post about a bad experience on social media. More
The next generation of Android, unveiled at the Google I/O developer conference, will offer mobile payments, banking and commerce providers a wide range of new functions. Android L includes support for BLE’s peripheral mode, tighter integration with Android Wear devices, new security features, upgraded notifications and enhancements to Google Play and carrier billing. More
McDonald’s is testing a service that lets customers order their meal before they arrive at a restaurant and then collect it and pay by scanning a QR code. More
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An instant customer feedback platform developed by DropThought has been added to POS maker Clover’s app market, enabling customers to interact with merchants via their digital or printed receipt. In the near future, customers will also be able to provide feedback while in a store, via the signature screen on the Clover POS device. More
A guide to host card emulation (HCE) and SIM-based NFC payments options has been produced by Consult Hyperion, in conjunction with GSMA... More
Alibaba-owned online payments giant Alipay has launched an NFC ticketing service, ECNS reports... More
Businesses across the London district of Brixton are to be equipped with Bluetooth beacons that will allow residents to make mobile payments using the Brixton Pound, a local currency designed to encourage consumers to spend their money in independent local businesses. More
Canada-based coffee chain Tim Hortons has opened up its mobile payments service to WP8 phone users... More
US sandwich chain Planet Sub is now offering customers a mobile app that lets them make payments and earn rewards. The company is using a white label version of LevelUp for the service. More
Pajco, owner of convenience store chains Rhodes 101 and Mercato di Rodi, is working with NCR to offer its customers the ability to pay for fuel by scanning a QR code on a fuel dispenser with their mobile phone. More
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US family restaurant chain Denny’s is piloting a mobile rewards program that lets diners use an iOS or Android app to collect a point for every dollar they spend. The trial is taking place at restaurants in Seattle, WA and Buffalo, NY. More
Customers of Canadian carrier Bell will be able to use CIBC bank’s mobile payment app to make NFC payments “in the coming weeks”... More
US mobile payments service LevelUp is to provide its merchants with the ability to push offers to shoppers via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons built into the next version of its POS device. The move follows a pilot with 20 merchants in Boston which saw participating retailers experiencing a 22% lift in the volume of LevelUp transactions made by customers. More
POS maker Verifone has expanded its Way2Ride mobile payments service to Philadelphia, allowing taxi users in the US city to pay for their journey using a sound-based proximity mobile communications technology. More
Yaap, a joint venture between Spanish banks CaixaBank and Banco Santander and mobile network operator Telefonica, has launched a mobile commerce platform that lets consumers access merchant offers on their mobile device and then redeem them automatically by simply paying for a purchase with a pre-linked debit or credit card. More
Groupement des Cartes Bancaires CB, the French bank card association which pioneered the use of chip cards for payments in the 1980s, expects to enable member banks to issue customers with keyfobs supporting fingerprint payments by the end of this year. A microSD option for mobile phones is also expected to be approved. More
French banking group Credit Mutuel-CIC has introduced an NFC payments service that is available to customers regardless of their mobile network operator... More
“In the area of mobile, there is just tremendous opportunity to enhance the end-to-end experience in both the accommodation business as well as the restaurant business by leveraging mobile as an asset,” Darren Huston, president and CEO of The Priceline Group, has told investors following the accommodation booking giant’s $2.6bn acquisition of OpenTable. More
