“Contactless payments accounted 88.6% of total card payments in 2020 as restrictions on contact-based payments drove people to the payment method, according to data from Barclaycard. Despite many shops closing for long periods during various lockdowns to reduce the spread of Covid-19, the total value of contactless payments increased by 7% in 2020 compared to 2019. For example, there was a 29% increase in the use of contactless in UK grocery stores.”

“The upper limit on contactless payments could be increased from £45 to £100 in one of Britain’s first rule changes after leaving the EU.  Not only would it mean more convenience for shoppers the move would also signify a step away from the European Commission’s rules and could help to reduce the spread of covid-19 by limiting the need to touch surfaces.”

“The latest Expectations & Experiences consumer trends survey from Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, reveals how people are adjusting their financial behaviors and preferences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many consumers who have made changes to their payment habits anticipate the changes will be permanent, with initial indications bearing this out.”

“Apple Pay has been activated on 507 million iPhones as of September as year-over-year retailer and bank adoption growth hit 20%, according to a new study.   That data comes from Loup Ventures’ fourth annual Apple Pay availability study, which tracks growth and adoption of the Apple payment platform. Loup Ventures conducted similar studies in 2018 and 2019 .”

“i2c Inc. , a leading provider of digital banking and payment processing technology and infrastructure, today announced its partnership with Purewrist , an innovative FinTech company specializing in end-to-end contactless payment solutions and wearables. i2c’s highly-configurable platform will be leveraged for transaction processing of tap-and-go payments made with the Purewrist GO™ wearable at NFC contactless readers.”

“MagicCube , the leader in the new category of Software Defined Trust (SDT), today announced the availability of i-Accept ™, a complete software-based replacement for traditional payment acceptance terminals. Through i-Accept™, acquiring banks and disruptive financial services institutions can now enable their merchants and retailers to accept contactless cards, including those from American Express®, Discover®, Mastercard® and Visa®, as well as capture financial PINs and other verification methods, without the need for additional hardware or terminals.”

“Technical body EMVCo has launched a pilot testing programme to evaluate consumer mobile devices for contactless payment acceptance. The Early Adopter Programme is open to vendors for functional evaluation of smartphones and tablets that can be used by merchants to take payments, without the need for added hardware, such as a dongle. EMVCo has introduced the Early Adopter Programme to address industry requests to support merchants and acquirers that want to use commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) consumer mobile devices to accept contactless payments.”

“UK-based payments platform Judopay has today announced a partnership with Mastercard to move towards a touch-free payments future.  Judopay was born out of frustration at clunky mobile checkouts, with the name coming from the Japanese sport Judo, translating to ‘the gentle way,’ in the hope of streamlining customer checkouts, which in turn increases sales and repeat purchases.”

“Uber Eats is flipping the switch on a contactless ordering feature that’s meant to come in handy when you’re dining in and ordering takeout amid the pandemic.  The tool is aptly called “Uber Eats Contactless Order Feature” and the idea is to enable you to cover your bill via the app when you’re at a restaurant to prevent unnecessary exchanges of heavily touched items such as credit cards, pens and bill holders.”

“The Jacksonville Jaguars today introduced Jags Pay, an all-new contactless mobile payment technology at TIAA Bank Field designed with a contactless fan experience in mind. Jags Pay is now available via the Jaguars’ official mobile app and can be utilized for all stadium concession and merchandise payments in 2020.”

“Waze on Thursday rolled out a new feature that allows US drivers to link the navigation platform to fuel partner apps for contactless payments at participating Exxon, Mobil and Shell gas stations.  When drivers arrive at those stations, a notification in the Waze app will prompt them to securely pay using the fuel partner’s contactless payment app (the Exxon Mobil Rewards app or the Shell app ). They’ll then be able to earn rewards through those loyalty programs. If a driver doesn’t have those apps installed, Waze will direct them to download it.”

“Fattmerchant, an integrated payment technology provider that simplifies the payment processing experience for business owners, announces the release of Contactless by Omni. This new all-in-one contactless payment solution provides business owners with the ability to go touch-free and virtual overnight, allowing their business to begin accepting payments in the ways that their customers are most comfortable with.”

“Canadian debit-payments firm Interac Corp. is experiencing a surge in digital and contactless transactions as consumers make purchases from home and try to keep their hands clean during the coronavirus pandemic. There were 51.9 million e-transfers sent through Interac in March, the first time the 50-million mark has been crossed in a month. “We’re conducting ongoing analysis into the impact of COVID-19 on how Canadians are using the Interac e-Transfer platform compared to regular state,” spokesperson Rebecca DeLuca said in an email. “While some Interac e-Transfer use cases will decrease during social distancing (splitting a dinner tab), we anticipate that others will rise or emerge, such as paying someone back for a grocery run.””

“Demand for secure online and contactless payments is surging in South Africa on the back of fears around the spread of coronavirus, with many people reluctant to use cash or to touch point of sale machines.  As the number of confirmed cases increases daily, growing numbers of retailers are scrambling to get online payment systems in place to meet a spike in demand from customers looking for contactless payment options, said Thomas Pays, the Chief Executive of online payment platform Ozow.”

“Mastercard has partnered with software-only mPOS startup Phos and Paynetics , an e-money institution with an EU-wide licence which will act as the acquiring bank for the pilot. The 200 merchants taking part will be able to download the Phos app from the Google Play store and have their identity verified “in a fully digital due-diligence process which follows both anti money laundering as well as other locally applicable regulations”.”

“AIB customers will soon be charged 1c cent for ‘tap’ payments. From May 30, the bank is also introducing a quarterly maintenance fee of €4.50 for current accounts. It is the third bank to charge for contactless payments, following Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank. The fees could cost customers an extra €80 a year.”