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March 9, 2022

On the web

Contactless Card Purchases to Exceed 522bn Globally by 2026

NFCW

“The number of contactless card purchases made worldwide will increase by an average of 23% a year and reach a total of more than 522bn by 2026, up by more than 370bn on the 149bn recorded in 2020, according to a forecast by Retail Banking Research (RBR) . The firm’s ‘Global Cards Data and Forecasts to 2026’ also shows that the number of contactless purchases worldwide increased by 36% in 2020, driven by “many hygiene-conscious consumers gravitating towards contactless payment methods during the pandemic to minimise contact with Eftpos terminals”.”

February 9, 2022

On the web

January 26, 2022

On the web

Contactless Transactions Surge in the UK

Finextra Research

“New data from Barclaycard, which sees nearly half of the nation’s credit and debit card transactions, reveals that 91.1% of all eligible card transactions in 2021 were made contactlessly, with the total value of contactless payments made increasing by 40.2 per cent, year-on-year. The data also shows that shoppers increasingly opted for ‘touch and go’ at the check-out following the limit increase from £45 to £100 in October 2021, which resulted in the average number of transactions made contactlessly in the UK each day growing by 27.5 per cent.”

December 21, 2021

On the web

Seven in Ten UK Debit Card Transactions Are Now Contactless

NFCW

“Nearly seven in ten debit card transactions (69%) and just over half of all credit card transactions (53%) in the UK are now contactless, according to figures from UK Finance . The figures also show that there were 1,260m contactless card transactions during September, an increase of 30.5% from 966m in September 2020 and 70.3% more than the 740m recorded in September 2019.”

December 20, 2021

On the web

USPS Taking Apple Pay for Online Payments – but Still Not in Post Offices | AppleInsider

AppleInsider

“The U.S. Postal Service is now accepting Apple Pay , however Apple’s payment platform is only currently accepted online, and probably won’t be usable for in-person transactions for quite a while.   The USPS hasn’t been a supporter of Apple Pay, but recently, it has adopted Apple’s mobile payments system for some transactions. An update to its website allows users to use Apple Pay to purchase various services, including through its assorted apps.”

November 17, 2021

On the web

African Payment Apps to Add Ultrasonic Authentication for Contactless Transactions

NFCW

“Consumers across Africa will soon be able to use Nigeria-based payment services provider Paga Group’s mobile apps to authenticate in-store and person-to-person contactless payments using ultrasonic data-over-sound proximity verification technology. The company is adding ultrasonic authentication to both its Paga payments and Doroki merchant apps and plans to roll it out as a contactless verification option to some 33,000 merchants and 19 million users. The contactless solution uses ultrasonic ‘person present’ authentication technology provided by US data-over-sound company Lisnr .”

November 16, 2021

On the wires

Tap to Give™ at The Salvation Army’s Iconic Red Kettles This Holiday Season

“No cash? No problem. Today, Visa (NYSE: V) announced a pilot program with The Salvation Army and tiptap to make donations contactless at The Salvation Army’s iconic Red Kettles this holiday season. When shoppers hear those familiar bells, they’ll be able to give back by simply tapping their contactless card, phone or watch on the tiptap devices – the same way they do in stores – no need to carry cash, scan a QR code, or touch anything.”

October 13, 2021

On the web

UK Contactless Payments Limit Is Rising to £100 – Should You Be Worried?

the Guardian

“It’s a financial revolution that began quietly in September 2007. That is when the first contactless bank cards were introduced in the UK, allowing people to “wave and pay” for low-value items such as a cup of coffee or a newspaper. At the time, spending was capped at £10. Fourteen years on, with at least 135m contactless cards in circulation and the technology accounting for 9.6bn payments a year and rising, the limit is about to go up to £100 . This change, which takes effect on Friday 15 October, will more than double the current £45 cap.”

September 24, 2021

On the web

September 20, 2021

On the web

Contactless Payment Rises—And So Do Back-to-School Purchases—PSCU Report Shows

Digital Transactions

“Contactless credit card transactions caught up to their debit counterparts as a percent of volume in August, with 17% of total card-present volume, as tracked in the monthly PSCU Payments Index, attributed to the payment form. That matches the share for contactless debit transactions. PSCU, a St. Petersburg, Fla.-based credit union service organization, issues the PSCU Payments Index as a way to monitor payments activity.”

September 15, 2021

On the web

Contactless Transactions Surge in Cash Loving Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Finextra Research

“More than three quarters of cashless transactions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are now contactless, a remarkable turnaround from pre-pandemic figures of just 40%. The Dach region, until recently heavily reliant on cash and invoicing, has experienced a dramatic transformation in contactless adoption over the last two years.In June 2019, overall contactless adoption in the region was at just 40%, according to figures from payment processor Nets. The average contactless rate is now 77% in Germany, 82% in Austria and 80% in Switzerland.”

August 27, 2021

On the wires

Contactless Limit to Increase to £100 From 15 October | UK Finance

“The national roll-out of the new £100 spending limit for contactless card payments will begin from 15 October 2021, UK Finance announces today. The decision to raise the contactless limit from £45 to £100 was made by HM Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority following a public consultation and in discussion with both the retail and banking sectors. It follows on from the successful increase in the limit from £30 to £45 in April 2020.”

August 23, 2021

On the wires

Blackhawk Network Introduces Scan-to-Buy Live Entertainment And Amusement Ticket Purchasing In US Retailers

“As live entertainment and amusement parks begin to make a comeback, Blackhawk Network has launched a contactless ticket purchasing solution for entertainment brands and retailers. This innovation makes it even easier for consumers to purchase tickets to their favorite theme parks, concerts and live events in the retail locations where they regularly shop. Blackhawk is leveraging its proprietary ScanIt solution to enable QR ticket purchasing in retail. This QR code technology enables merchants to engage with customers at multiple touchpoints within the physical retail environment.”

August 16, 2021

On the wires

UnionPay International Launches First Contactless E-wallet in Tajikistan

“UnionPay International (UPI) announced today that it has partnered with the International Bank of Tajikistan to launch the country’s first contactless e-wallet, making UnionPay the first payment brand to offer mobile contactless payment services in the country. As a result, the number of e-wallets outside the Chinese mainland that support UnionPay cards reaches 100. Meanwhile, the number of merchants accepting UnionPay mobile payments has exceeded 10 million. The two milestones mark the forming of an interconnected UnionPay cross-border mobile payment ecosystem.”

July 13, 2021

On the wires

7-Eleven Expands Mobile Checkout Feature to Thousands of US Stores

“Check this out. No, really. 7-Eleven, Inc. has expanded its new Mobile Checkout contactless shopping solution to an additional 2,500+ stores across the U.S. Using the 7-Eleven app, customers can quickly scan items and pay for purchases without ever standing in a checkout line. Mobile Checkout is now available in more than 3,000 participating 7-Eleven stores in 32 states including Washington, D.C.”

June 17, 2021

On the wires

Contactless Now Accounts for More Than a Quarter of All UK Payments | UK Finance

“UK Finance today releases its 2021 Payment Markets Report, an analysis of all forms of payments over 2020 showing the impact the Covid-19 pandemic and resultant lockdowns had on the nation’s payments behaviour. For the first time in six years, the total number of payments in the UK declined, falling by 11 per cent to 35.6 billion. While consumers continued to make the vast majority of all payments (86 per cent) the report demonstrates the reduced opportunities for people to spend money during the pandemic, with the number of consumer payments falling by 13 per cent to 30.7 billion. Meanwhile, the number of payments made by commercial organisations, government and not-for-profit organisations increased slightly to 4.8 billion, representing 14 per cent of payment volumes but 80 per cent of the total value of payments.”

May 19, 2021

On the wires

CBA Predicts Digital Wallets Set to Become the Most Popular Contactless Way to Pay

“Commonwealth Bank today released new figures showing a significant uptick in digital wallet usage over the last 12 months. The figures highlight the growing popularity of digital wallets and the likelihood for them to become the most popular contactless way to pay in-store by the end of the year, if current trends continue. Between March 2020 and March 2021 the number of monthly digital wallet transactions increased 90 per cent, with the number of transactions rising from 36 million to 68 million. Over the same period, the total dollar value of digital wallet transactions more than doubled, with the value of monthly transactions rising to $2.1 billion, up from $1 billion.”

April 16, 2021

On the web

Silicon Valley’s Clipper All-in-one Transit Card Finally Adds Apple Pay

The Verge

“Silicon Valley might seem like a shining beacon of technological progress to some onlookers, but natives know it can be weirdly hit and miss — like how the San Francisco Bay Area has long had a physical tap-to-pay card that’ll let you onto practically every form of public transit, and yet never let you simply tap your phone or smartwatch to do the same. Until today — because starting today, the Clipper Card supports Apple Pay , including its Express Mode where you don’t need to wake the device or open an app first.”

April 13, 2021

On the wires

Toast Launches Enhanced Contactless Suite to Help Increase Restaurant Revenue and Support Restaurateurs in Reimagining Hospitality

Toast , the fastest-growing restaurant management platform, today launched an enhanced suite of contactless and guest-facing solutions to help restaurateurs reimagine operations and reduce overhead as they rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, Toast debuted updates to its Toast Order & Pay™ solution, including pre-authorization tabs and group ordering. Designed to meet the ever-increasing demand for contactless solutions, Toast Order & Pay™ enables guests to order and pay in a restaurant via smartphone.”

April 12, 2021

On the web

Patent Shows How Apple Pay Could Automatically Select a Card Based on the User’s Location

NFCW

“Apple Pay users could be able to make contactless payments and other transactions with merchants or transit providers without having to manually select the correct payment, rewards or transit card or other digital credential from within their mobile wallet. Technology that would enable Apple Pay to automatically choose the stored card or credential most appropriate for a particular contactless transaction at a terminal close to a user’s location is described in a patent filed by Apple and recently granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office.”

April 7, 2021

On the web

Apple Pay Goes Live in South Africa

NFCW

“Apple Pay has rolled out in South Africa with support for Visa cards issued by Absa and Discovery Bank and for Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards issued by Nedbank . Apple Pay has now added the three South African banks to the list of banks and payment cards it supports , and “by midday on Tuesday South Africans were reporting success in buying coffee and fried chicken by using their iPhones, or Apple Watches, instead of a payment card, as Apple Pay quietly went live,” according to Business Insider South Africa .”

On the wires

One Billion Additional Touch-free Visa Payments Made As Consumers Embrace Contactless Commerce

“Visa today announced that it has processed one billion additional touch-free payments1, where previously consumers would have needed to enter their PIN, as consumer confidence in contactless payments continues to grow. This milestone has been reached in less than a year since contactless payment limits were increased in 29 countries across Europe in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

April 6, 2021

On the web

Fueled by Pandemic, Contactless Mobile Payments to Surpass Half of All Smartphone Users in US by 2025

TechCrunch

“Among other technology trends accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of contactless mobile payments boomed in 2020. According to a recent report by analyst firm eMarketer, in-store mobile payments usage grew 29% last year in the U.S., as the pandemic pushed consumers to swap out cash and credit cards for the presumably safer mobile payments option at point-of-sale. Last year, 92.3 million U.S. consumers age 14 or older used proximity-based mobile payments at least one time during a six-month period in 2020 — a figure the firm expects to grow to reach 101.2 million this year.”

March 24, 2021

On the web

Major Brands Lag on Mobile Acceptance Despite a Drive for Contactless, a Study Finds

Digital Transactions

“After the pandemic struck a year ago, stores scrambled to install technology to support a wide range of payment options, including tap-and-pay, to reassure skittish consumers. But now a new report indicates those efforts may not have gone as far as many have assumed, particularly in the area of contactless payments.  In particular, merchants are lagging with respect to enabling mobile commerce, the study found. Of 100 major merchants evaluated, some 39% did not offer NFC mobile payments via the three major brands, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay, according to the report, “2020 Merchant Gift Card Omnichannel Evaluation.” Just 4% offered the option to pay for a gift card by scanning a bar code or QR code. Data for the report was gathered by Napco Research for Pleasanton, Calif.-based Blackhawk Network , a major prepaid card provider.”

March 15, 2021

On the web

Rollout in Brazil Is Part of MagicCube’s Push for Card Acceptance on Ordinary Phones

Digital Transactions

“As part of its drive to turn off-the-shelf mobile devices into secure point-of-sale terminals using software as opposed to a dongle, MagicCube Inc. announced Thursday that its i-Accept application has expanded to Brazil. Acquiring banks and financial-technology service providers in Brazil can now enable merchants and retailers to accept contactless cards across all four major card networks, as well as capture financial PINs and other verification methods, without the need for additional hardware.”

February 24, 2021

On the web

February 19, 2021

On the web

Covid-19: Contactless ATM Withdrawals Go Mainstream

Finextra Research

“Covid-19 has accelerated the trend towards contactless cash withdrawals in Switzerland, according to SIX, which says that more than a third of machines in the country are now equipped with QR code readers while another 20% have NFC readers. The number of ATMs that offer contactless cash withdrawals has been on the rise for some time, jumping 26% worldwide in 2019.”

February 1, 2021

On the web

More Amazon Go Stores Are Getting Contactless One Palm Readers

Engadget

“Last September Amazon introduced a touchless payment system called One that literally reads your palm to authenticate purchases in Amazon’s retail stores . That’s apparently going so well that the company has decided to expand it, at least at its home base in Seattle. Starting today, Amazon One touchless palm-reading tech is coming to the Amazon Go location at Madison & Minor, and will expand to two additional locations “in the coming weeks,” Amazon said.”

January 28, 2021

On the web

Apple Pay Offers Germ-Free Shopping — If Only We Could Figure Out How It Works

Wall Street Journal

“Rachel Carmack thought Apple Pay was the answer to her pandemic-induced germaphobia. No more plastic credit cards, with their button-pushing and receipt-signing. Instead, she would simply wave her phone to pay for things. Her plan hasn’t gone so smoothly. On two trips to a fast-food drive-through in Jonesboro, Ark., cashiers grabbed her phone when she stuck it out the window. On another, she had to give the cashier an Apple Pay tutorial before she could get her order.”

January 26, 2021

On the wires

Mastercard Evolves Contactless Technology for Quantum World

“Mastercard today announced that it is applying the latest quantum-resistant technologies to develop the next generation of contactless payments. The new Enhanced Contactless (Ecos) specifications are an industry-first and will help ensure that as our dynamic digital landscape evolves, and new technologies like quantum computing are introduced, contactless technology is future-proofed to ensure consumers will continue to enjoy the same high levels of security and convenience they do today, in the decades to come.”

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