US consumers making purchases at 300,000 self-serve machines across the country will soon receive exclusive offers, promotions and discounts toward future purchases when using Apple Pay to complete a payment... More
Rewards
Carnival unveils NFC and BLE wearable for cruise ship passengers
Holidaymakers aboard Carnival Corporation cruise ships will soon be given an NFC and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) enabled wearable device, designed by the man behind Disney’s MagicBand, that will let them access a range of next generation services including boarding without checking in, unlocking rooms, accessing personalised entertainment, ordering food and making payments. More
Singapore bank offers Apple Pay cashback reward
Customers of Singapore bank POSB are being given S$8 (US$5.54) cashback when using Apple Pay to pay for purchases at major supermarkets, including NTUC Fairprice, Cold Storage, Giant and Sheng Siong... More
Android Pay offers Christmas rewards
Android Pay users in the UK are receiving virtual Christmas rewards whenever they use the mobile payment service to pay in-store or on the Transport for London network... More
Loyalty and gifts added to Apple Pay
Prepaid card provider Blackhawk Network is to integrate gift cards, egifts, loyalty and rewards programs into Apple Pay... More
Liquid Pay targets 25,000 retailers in Singapore with QR code mobile payments
Some 25,000 retail locations in Singapore are expected to accept a new mobile payment service within the next 12 months... More
Starbucks takes mobile payments to 260 stores in Indonesia
Customers at coffee chain Starbucks in Indonesia can now make mobile payments at 260 stores nationwide by scanning a barcode at the point of sale using the company’s mobile app and completing the payment using a registered Starbucks Card... More
Muji to accept Alipay in Chinese stores
Retail giant Muji is to accept Alipay mobile payments in nearly 200 stores in mainland China... More
Covent Garden offers augmented reality gift for Christmas shoppers
London’s Covent Garden shopping district is showcasing what it claims to be the largest showcase of augmented reality (AR) technology attempted in one location, with Christmas shoppers offered exclusive offers, gift guides and immersive shopping experiences... More
PwC in digital currency project for everyday banking
Global consultancy firm PwC has joined forces with US blockchain technology outfit Bloq to create a platform allowing digital currencies to be used for everyday banking... More
Samsung Pay to launch Samsung Rewards programme in the US
Samsung Pay is to launch a rewards programme in the US this week that will let users earn points for each purchase, which can be redeemed for items such as gift cards at participating stores, prepaid Samsung Rewards Visa gift cards, Samsung products “and more”, the company says... More
Citi launches global API Developer Hub
Citi has launched a global API Developer Hub to give developers access to APIs across eight usage categories including account management, peer-to-peer payments, money transfer to institutions, Citi rewards, investment purchases and account authorisation... More
US smartphone owners switch to mobile payments
More than half of smartphone owners in the US have used their mobile phone to pay for goods and services in-store and online, Mercator Advisory Group says... More
Mastercard to launch artificial intelligence bots for banks and merchants
Mastercard has unveiled plans to launch artificial intelligence (AI) bots for its merchant and bank partners, allowing consumers to use chat, messaging and natural language interfaces to shop and manage their finances... More
French electronic wallets merge to create ‘universal mobile payment solution’
French bank BNP Paribas and supermarket giant Carrefour are to merge their Wa... More
Australian banks call Apple’s NFC restriction “completely baseless”
Apple’s claim that allowing access to the NFC technology within its iPhones would diminish the security of Apple Pay has been branded “completely baseless” by a group of four Australian banks, who are seeking greater powers of negotiation over the entry of third-party mobile wallets in the country... More
Apple Pay launches in New Zealand
Apple Pay has arrived in New Zealand with support for Visa credit and debit cards issued by ANZ Bank New Zealand... More
Kohl’s launches QR code mobile payments feature across the US
Customers at US department store chain Kohl’s can now make purchases by scanning a QR code at the point of sale using Kohl’s Pay, a mobile payment feature that has been integrated into the retailer’s existing mobile app... More
Amex enables rewards purchases on Amazon
Canadian customers of American Express who are enrolled in the company’s Membership Rewards program can now pay for purchases using their reward points on Amazon... More
Samsung Pay gets new features and gives away $100,000 in prizes
Samsung Pay has updated its mobile app to include an in-app coupon service so users can search, store and redeem coupons as well as a cloud storage feature to restore membership, gift and Samsung Reward cards whenever users sign into a new device... More