Mastercard has introduced a ‘sonic brand identity’, a suite of sounds based around a melody that can be used in many different contexts to remind consumers they are dealing with the payments network... More
Mastercard unveils ‘sonic brand’
Mastercard
Mastercard doubles contactless transaction limit in Serbia
Additional benefit for Mastercard contactless consumers — CorD Magazine — “Mastercard today announced that the maximum amount for contactless payments without a PIN will increase to RSD3,000 (US$28.76)… The current limit for contactless payments without a PIN, set at RSD1,500, was established in 2008.”
Belgian transit operator to deploy open loop multimodal mobility-as-a-service platform
Flanders public transport operator De Lijn selects Conduent Transportation to deploy next-generation fare collection system — Conduent — “The first phase will enable the use of contactless public transport operator payment cards and bank cards based on the cEMV (contactless Europay, MasterCard and Visa), aggregated pay-as-you-go transit model 2… A future phase of the platform will support mobility-as-a-service with the integration of various mobility providers such as car sharing, bike hire and taxis.”
US Mastercard issuers commit to contactless
Mastercard Inc CEO Ajay Banga on Q4 2018 results — Seeking Alpha — “We’ve received commitments from issuers representing approximately two thirds of our total US consumer volume to issue contactless cards within the next two years. This includes Citi, Capital One, KeyBanc, Santander, HSBC and others. We’re also working with leading processors like FIS to bring contactless to smaller issuers and to credit unions.”
Russian supermarket chain rolls out open loop fingerprint payments service
Sberbank and Azbuka Vkusa perfect fingerprint payment service — Sberbank — “After the quick registration process, which takes place at a checkout, clients tie two fingerprints to a Visa or Mastercard bank card and confirm the registration by coming up with a password. Payments can then be made at all stores with biometric POS terminals by scanning a fingerprint and confirming the transaction with the password. It is not necessary to use a bank card or a smartphone… The service is already available at 20 Azbuka Vkusa supermarkets, and will be added to more locations soon.”
ABN Amro rolls out wearable payments on rings, watches and bracelets
Customers of Dutch bank ABN Amro can now connect a wide range of Mastercard-certified wearables to their bank account and use them to make both standard, low value contactless payments and also, by entering a PIN at the point of sale, higher value transactions beyond the contactless limit as well... More
Honda to leverage in-car payments for driver rewards program
Honda Dream Drive to deliver next-generation infotainment, commerce, services and rewards to drivers and passengers — Honda — “Since 2016, Honda has worked with Visa to build and enhance the in-vehicle payment experience to make payments more convenient and secure. Now, Honda is expanding its in-vehicle payment collaboration to include Mastercard and PayPal… Honda Developer Studio is user testing a new points-based rewards program to benefit drivers and passengers for using Honda products and services. Drivers and passengers can earn rewards points for participating in a variety of activities including purchasing services, watching and listening to media, and playing games.”
Sydney commuters can now use Fitbit wearables to pay for transit rides
Sydneysiders can now use Fitbit Pay to quickly and easily tap on & off at transit readers — Fitbit — “Following the contactless payment strategy rolled out by NSW Transport on Sydney’s ferry, light rail and train networks in November, Fitbit users can now use selected Mastercard and Visa debit and credit cards loaded into their Fitbit Pay Wallet to pay for their trip… Fitbit users in Sydney with a Fitbit Ionic, Fitbit Versa and its newest tracker, Fitbit Charge 3, can now leave their Opal cards at home and instead use Fitbit Pay on their Fitbit device to quickly and easily pay for public transport.”
Mastercard to drop its name from its logo
Mastercard evolves its brand mark by dropping its name — Mastercard — “Mastercard today announced that it is dropping its name from its iconic brand mark in select contexts. The interlocking red and yellow circles, referred to as the Mastercard Symbol, will now stand on its own across cards using the red and yellow brand mark, acceptance marks at retail locations both in the physical and digital worlds, and major sponsorship properties… The flexible modern design will allow it to work seamlessly across the digital landscape.”
Google Pay goes live in France
Google Pay is now live in France, with support for Boon, Boursarama Banque debit and credit cards, Edenred Ticket Restaurant cards, Lydia prepaid Mastercards, N26 Mastercard debit cards and Revolut Mastercards... More
Apple Pay goes live in Germany
Apple Pay is now live in Germany for customers of Deutsche Bank, Hanseatic Bank, HypoVereinsbank/UniCredit, Fidor Bank, Comdirect, N26 and Bunq... More
NXP sets out its vision for the future of NFC payments
PARTNER NEWS: Combining convenience with security is the key to unlocking the next wave of NFC payments innovations, Sebastien Clamagirand, general manager of NXP’s payment and identification business, has told NFC World in an interview at the Trustech show in Cannes... More
Apple Pay goes live in Belgium and Kazakhstan
Apple Pay now available in Belgium and Kazakhstan — AppleInsider — “For the moment, Apple Pay is exclusive to BNP Paribas Fortis, along with its subsidiaries Hello Bank and Fintro, for both Mastercard and Visa-based cards… The support for Apple Pay in Kazakhstan has started with Eurasian Bank for Mastercard customers. Apple’s list of participating banks and credit issuers that support Apple Pay also includes ATFBank, Halyk Bank, Sberbank, Bank CenterCredit, and ForteBank.”
Meet NFC World’s partners at Trustech 2018
NFC World partners Antelop Solutions, Dejamobile, HID Global, NXP, Okey Co and STMicroelectronics will be attending Trustech in Cannes, France from 27 to 29 November... More
Apple Pay and Samsung Pay to go live in Azerbaijan
Apple, Samsung contactless payment systems to appear in Azerbaijan — Trend News Agency — “Apple Pay and Samsung Pay payment services will appear in Azerbaijan in 2019, head of business development and digital payment department of MasterCard Hakan Tatlici told Trend.”
UPDATE Mastercard’s PR representatives in Azerbaijan have contacted NFC World to say that Trend News Agency’s article contained incorrect information and has been updated.
Intesa Sanpaolo pilots contactless biometric payment card in Italy
Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo bank has announced Europe’s first pilot test of a contactless biometric payment card... More
Apple unveils launch partners for Apple Pay in Germany
Apple Pay will launch in Germany “soon”, the iPhone maker has revealed, with support from American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Maestro, Boon, Bunq, Comdirect, Deutsche Bank, Edenred, Fidor Bank, Hanseatic Bank, HypoVereinsbank (HVB), N26, O2 Banking and VimPay... More
Mastercard to let cardholders pay with loyalty points at any Mastercard merchant
Mastercard’s Pay with Rewards service is to relaunch at the end of this year with a new app that will allow cardholders to pay with the points or miles they have collected from any card, airline, hotel or retail rewards program that has signed up to use the service at any Mastercard merchant worldwide... More
ST unveils turnkey payment solution for smartwatches and wearables
PARTNER NEWS: STMicroelectronics has partnered with wearable transactions specialist Fidesmo to provide smartwatch and wearable device makers with a single payment system-on-chip (SoC) solution that comes with built-in support for Mastercard payments... More
Mastercard to phase out signature panels on bank cards
Card issuers will no longer need to include a signature panel on the back of Mastercard products, the payments network has announced... More