Tag: mcdonald’s

Softcard mobile wallet moves into McDonald’s USA

| November 3, 2014

The largest food service retailer in the world is now accepting these smartphone transactions in about 14,000 locations.

Customers who eat at McDonald’s in the United States will now be able to use their smartphones to pay for their orders now that the quick service restaurant has teamed up with the Softcard and its mobile wallet.

This type of mobile payments transaction will be available to customers both in the restaurant and the drive-thru.

To use their mobile wallet service, they will be able to use NFC technology enabled smartphones with the Softcard app. They merely need to tap the device against the near field communication reader at any of the U.S. locations of the restaurant. This makes it the largest deployment of mobile payments via NFC that has ever occurred in a drive-thru setting.

According to McDonald’s representatives, the company is very pleased to offer this new mobile wallet service.

The McDonald’s USA vice president of media and consumer connection, Anja Carroll, said that “We are pleased to announce this national launch after a successful pilot program that began in 2013. Our work with Softcard further reinforces McDonald’s commitment to customer service and convenience.”mobile Wallet - McDonald's

Carroll went on to say that by working with leading brands within the mobile payments and m-commerce sphere, “we’re able to deliver a more meaningful experience to our customers that includes greater speed, ease and value.”

The mobile wallet app from Softcard is available for free and brings payments, loyalty, and discount offers together in one digital location. The app is compatible with over 80 different mobile devices across Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile. The service works with the contactless EMV global standard as well as with the m-commerce technology from SmartTap.

Softcard chief executive officer, Michael Abbott, called the quick service restaurant “one of the world’s most iconic and innovative brands.” He added that the reach and scale of McDonald’s will help to broaden the awareness and use of mobile payments and will bring this type of transaction one step closer to being mainstream. It will also help to demonstrate the specific value offered by the Softcard smartphone based wallet app, said Abbott.

NFC technology introduced in new McDonald’s trial

| April 7, 2013

McDonald's NFC Technology CanadaThe 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.