Tag: contactless mobile payments

Unique commercial NFC payments service launched by BBVA

BBVA (Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria) has made technology news by becoming the initial bank to unveil near field communication (NFC) technology in its commercial contactless payments service that is based on Visa’s host card emulation (HCE) specifications.

Bank customers can utilize the payments solution by downloading the latest version of the BBVA Wallet app.

Customers who are interested in taking advantage of the new Visa cloud based payments service only need to obtain the most recent version of the app and they can begin making NFC payments. That said, consumers will also need to have a mobile phone that can run Android 4.4 and is equipped with NFC technology. However, customers who do not have a suitable handset may be able to benefit from contactless stickers which the banking firm will be making available.

In addition to providing contactless mobile payments, the BBVA Wallet instantly notifies customers of every transaction they make, as well as provides them with offers, discounts and even finance options they can purchase.

The global payment systems director at BBVA, Mehmet Sezgin said, “Our employees and some of our customers, who are the most active users of BBVA Wallet in Spain, are already using this latest technology that gives BBVA the opportunity to offer our millions of customers worldwide an incredibly simple and intuitive way to start using their phone for contactless payments.”

BBVA’s technology news is good news for the U.S., Chile and Mexico

The bank explained that it is Visa’s cloud based payment specifications that has made the international expansion of BBVA Wallet possible and that part of this includes utilizing HCE technology. Payments that are cloud based allow in-store transactions, which use secure data that does not require security that is hardware based but, rather, is kept within the bank’s “cloud based” systems. The company’s goal is for their mobile wallet to be carried and used by their customers across all of the geographical regions where the business operates.

Currently, BBVA customers in Spain with NFC enabled Android smartphones can use the new mobile payments service. However, later this year, the banking firm expects to extend its contactless payments service to customers in Chile, Mexico and the United States, which is likely welcome technology news for those bank customers looking to take advantage of this great new service.

This technology is intended to be implemented at some point during 2014 for transit users.

The well known Oyster cards used for London’s transportation system could soon be a thing of the past if the contactless mobile payments solution proves to be successful next year after it is implemented.

This could represent a considerable change in the technology that is used by the transit system.

The test of the contactless mobile payments will begin this month and is expected to run for two full months. It will involve the participation of 5,000 people who regularly use the Tube, the Overground, or the DLR. They will be able to tap their way into and out of the system using a bank card that doesn’t need to be swiped. The system was already implemented using NFC technology into the busses in London in December a year ago. The full implementation of the service is now expected to occur next year.

This use of contactless mobile payments is expected to save the system a tremendous amount of money.

In fact, it has been predicted that through the use of this NFC technology, instead of the traditional Oyster card, the transit system will be saving £80 million per year. This data is according to the information released by TfL in an interview that was conducted by the London Evening Standard.

It is not entirely clear exactly how this system will work. The passengers who use the service will be charged the rates that are the equivalent to the pay as you go system. However, when the system goes live, it is not yet known to the public whether the new form of transaction will allow them to purchase Travelcards at the reduced rate. At the time that the interview was held, TfLwas unable to state whether or not this new form of paying for transit would be followed by a method of using smartphones to pay for fare.

The TfL has stated that it is committed to a number of new contactless mobile payments initiatives that would include the use of smartphones for various purposes. This could include paying for fare, one day, but it also involves a promise that WiFi will become available in all of the Tube stations. All ticketing staff will also soon be equipped with iPads. The changes that will be made to offices and ticket halls will mean that 950 jobs will be cut as they are closed by 2015.