CardGuide international

CIBC and Rogers Communications announced an agreement to launch Canada's first joint mobile payment solution, allowing Canadians to pay with their CIBC credit card at the checkout counter using their Rogers NFC-enabled smartphone. Beginning later this year, customers will be able to use this payment capability at merchants across Canada where contactless credit card payments are accepted.

• Skycore LLC's codeREADr app authenticates NFC transactions embedded in tags, wristbands, FOBs and phones.
• First pilot tracks & validates reusable, rechargeable NFC wristbands for secure ticketing and stored value.

Skycore LLC, developers of the commercial barcode and NFC validation app, codeREADr, are powering the first pilot where reusable, rewearable NFC-embedded wristbands can be tracked and validated using mobile, NFC-enabled Android devices. Wristbands embedded with NFC chips are currently used by some festival organizers to improve ticket security. Some multi-use transit cards, like Boston's CharlieCard, include NFC chips to enable fast, contactless validation. However, in both cases those tickets are typically validated either with stationary hardware or expensive mobile computers.

MasterCard Worldwide announced several NFC-enabled smartphones have been certified for use with MasterCard PayPass technology, providing consumers with devices capable of making fast, secure contactless payments at hundreds of thousands of PayPass merchant locations around the globe. The new MasterCard-certified devices include the BlackBerry Bold 9900 / 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9360 / 9380, HTC One X, Intel Smartphone Reference Device, LG Viper 4G LTE, LG Optimus Elite, Nokia 603, Nokia Lumia 610 NFC, Samsung Wave Y, Samsung Galaxy mini 2, Samsung Galaxy S Advance, Samsung Galaxy Nexus (GT-i9250), Sony Xperia S, Sony Xperia P and Sony Xperia sola.

Motorola Solutions, Inc. released the findings of a survey that demonstrates increasing interest from retail, hospitality and field service industries for mobile Point of Sale (mPOS) solutions as a core strategy for improving customer service. Retailers in particular showed a strong interest in deploying mPOS solutions over the next couple years to provide shoppers with more personalized service and payment convenience while gaining countless opportunities to close the sale.

Visa Europe confirmed that its new digital wallet service, V.me by Visa, will launch to an initial group of consumers in the UK, Spain, and France in autumn 2012. Also announced was that payments processor WorldPay is a key development partner in the delivery of the V.me service in the UK. Further development and launch partners in each market, including banks and retailers, will be announced soon. The service will be made available through Visa's member banks and will initially be accessed through the internet browser on a PC, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Consumers will be able to put multiple cards into the wallet. For retailers, it offers the opportunity to streamline the customer checkout process, driving up conversion rates and shopper satisfaction.

First Data Corporation, the Krakow Transportation and Infrastructure Authority, and City Parking Group announced the introduction of parking meters equipped with contactless payments functionality in the city of Krakow – the first contactless-enabled parking meters to be installed in Poland. Lack of spare change for parking meters can now be a concern of the past for drivers in Krakow, Poland.

Following a competitive tender, Parkeon Transit has won a contract with Translink to supply 275 of its advanced Parkeon P50 handheld ticket machines for use on train services. The new units will be rolled out in 2013 and will not only offer cash and contactless smart card transactions but will also handle payment by chip and PIN credit/debit card and contactless EMV.

Mal McGreevy, Translink's General Manager, Rail Services said "Translink have been pioneers in innovative smart ticketing technology with customer smartcards electronically accepted on-train since 2002. These new P50 ticket machines will make it easy and convenient for our customers to purchase tickets on board with their credit and debit cards including EMV Contactless transactions. "

DenizBank has added a new application in mobile payment among mobile banking products. By using NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, DenizBank offers contactless payment with mobile phones. With the project developed with the collaboration of DenizBank and Turkcell and support of MasterCard and Gemalto, customers are able to do pin code-free, fast and secure shopping at stores with contactless card scanner by using their mobile phones.

Platform and Services Enable Merchants, Banks, and Partners to Offer the Next Generation of Digital Payments

MasterCard announced PayPass Wallet Services, a new global offering for banks, merchants and partners that will make it faster and easier for their customers to make purchases in stores or online by allowing them to securely pay with a simple click of the mouse, touch of the tablet screen or tap of the smartphone. PayPass Wallet Services delivers three distinct components — PayPass Acceptance Network (PayPass Online and PayPass Contactless), PayPass Wallet and PayPass API. These services enable a consistent shopping experience no matter where and how consumers shop, as well as a suite of digital wallet services, and developer tools to make it easier to connect other wallets into the PayPass Online acceptance network.

Paying for services through your mobile phone is closer to reality after Telecom, Auckland Transport and Westpac have announced plans to start trialling a mobile wallet system from May in collaboration with Gemalto, Thales and Paymark. In a major milestone for the development of mobile payments technology, the trial will involve some 30 staff from the six organizations. Trial participants will be able to use a mobile phone to make "tap and go" payments to access public transport in Auckland and make purchases at a small selection of retailers.

Thales will be using its near-field communication (NFC) application throughout Auckland Transport's final smart card ticketing system, HOP, before deploying it globally across all networks and banks. The trial, which utilizes Telecom's XT network, is expected to enable participants to pay for Auckland's buses, trains and ferries through their mobile phones. The phone will communicate with the HOP terminal to complete the transaction without having to swipe or insert a card.