Tag: rbc mobile payments

The debit and mobile payments pilot program has now begun at a Canadian location.

McDonald’s is making mobile commerce news headlines with its brand new NFC technology based transaction system, which is being introduced on a trial basis at a Canadian restaurant location.

This would allow customers of the fast food giant to be able to pay for their meals using smartphones.

The NFC technology system is being provided by Interact Flash, a contactless solution from the Interac Association. It allows people to use their enabled debit cards and smartphones to tap-to-pay for their purchases. This functionality is currently limited only to certain specific cards and devices.

Also part of this NFC technology payments partnership is RBC Royal Bank, through their mobile app.

RBC has integrated the NFC technology into their application which can be downloaded and used through BlackBerry smartphones that are enabled with a near field communication chip. Together, RBC and Interac have made it possible for McDonald’s to offer these mobile payments to its customers.

According to Interac, this is the first time in Canada – as well as the only one currently operating – that contactless debit and mobile payments are accepted through NFC technology. The president and CEO of Acxsys Corporation and the Interac Association, Mark O’Connell, said that “This achievement in mobile debit innovation helps solidify our role in the mobile payments space in Canada.”

He also added that it will soon be possible for people in Canada to be able to use their smartphones to “pay with Interac Flash quickly, conveniently and securely” when they are making their typical purchases in stores and restaurants. He explained that this will bring additional value for consumers, but also for partner financial institutions and for the merchants, themselves.

The Interac Association debit card and payments services currently offers funds access to people in Canada at approximately 60,000 different cash points, as well as 766,000 point of sale terminals country wide. They have already led the way in the country for online debit payments and intend to use NFC technology to help to ensure a position as a leader in mobile payments, as well.

Financial institutions becoming more invested in mobile payments

Financial institutions all over the world are becoming more interested in the concept of mobile payments. As consumers become more reliant on their smartphones and tablets, they are looking for new, more convenient ways to make purchases. Nearly everything that consumers do these days has some tie to the mobile world, making it more important for companies, like financial institutions, to cater to the demands of mobile consumers in order to remain relevant in a world that is changing around them.

Royal Bank of Canada takes a swing at mobile commerce

The Royal Bank of Canada has become one of the latest major financial institutions to begin embracing mobile payments. The organization has announced its entry into  the mobile commerce arena this week with the demonstration of a new touch-free transaction system designed for smartphones. The system, which is linked to a new application call Interac, makes use of NFC technology to allow consumers to purchase goods and services. The use of NFC technology allows a smartphone to be used as a payment platform without having to make actual physical contact with anything, as the technology transmits data over a short distance.

NFC continues to worry consumers

NFC technology has been a staple in mobile payments for some time, but many consumers are becoming increasingly wary of the technology. NFC has been linked to several security risks in the past and can be exploited to gain access to a consumer’s financial information. A growing number of companies interested in mobile commerce are choosing to forgo NFC in favor of simple mobile payments applications or, in some cases, the use of QR codes to activate mobile transactions.

Security may not be a problem with Interac application

The Royal Bank of Canada has taken note of the security concerns that consumers have in regards to their financial information and NFC technology. Interac features numerous security measures that are closely tied to the financial institution’s own security systems. The application is considered safe enough to use for mobile payments and if the Royal Bank of Canada can placate the fears of consumers, it may be able to beat out the competition it has in the Canadian mobile commerce sector.