The new Canadian smartphone based option will allow Visa cards to be used without near field communication.
TD Canada Trust, one of the largest Canadian banks, has now launched a mobile payments solution that allows shoppers to use their Visa cards through their smartphones in order to make a purchase, regardless of whether or not the device uses NFC technology.
This not only makes it possible for more device models to be compatible, but it also beats many tech giants to this market.
At the moment, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and other top mobile payments services in the United States have yet to make their way into the Canadian space. This has allowed TD Canada Trust to make its way into this market and build its user base before the competition gets too fierce. Moreover, it has done so without the use of NFC technology, which has become the standard for many of the other popular mobile wallets, but that is not compatible with the majority of smartphones currently used in Canada.
The NFC technology free mobile payments app has now launched for the bank’s customers to use.
The TD Bank app has been updated so users with Android devices running 4.4 and higher will be able to add their TD Canada Trust issued Visa card and proceed to make mobile payments with their smartphones. Even without near field communication, the devices can be tapped against point of sale terminals in order to compete a purchase transaction.
This mobile app has managed to accomplish this goal through the use of Host Card Emulation (HCE), which removes the need for NFC SIM cards. It also meals that virtually any Android device (as long as it is running on 4.4 or newer and as long as it is running on any of the wireless networks within the country) will be compatible.
While this isn’t the first Canadian bank to implement this type option, absent of NFC technology, within its app – as the RBC Wallet for Android was launched several months ago – TD’s updated mobile app does represent a significant addition to the country’s mobile payments selection.
The new wearables from Fit Pay could soon make it possible for people to pay for products with a flick of the wrist.
Owners of Pebble Time wearable technology devices may soon be able to take advantage of the convenience of contactless mobile payments among the other benefits of wearing their gadgets.
A Pagaré smartstrap Kickstarter campaign was recently launched by Fit Pay to make this happen.
The funding for this wearable technology would be used to support its final production and to be able to bring it to market. The Pagaré payment smartstrap has NFC technology embedded into it, as well as card network tokenization. In that way, it will be possible for these wearables to be read by any POS terminal with an NFC reader, which is quite commonplace at retail checkout counters around the world.
Essentially, if the NFC contactless payments symbol is displayed at a checkout counter, this wearable technology is compatible.
To use the smartstrap wearables, a user would simply need to wave his or her wrist over the reader terminal at the POS counter. In that way, the transaction can be completed and the wearer would never have to take out a wallet and swipe or tap a card. It wouldn’t even require a smartphone to be used, as is the case with other types of mobile wallet that have been trying to achieve widespread adoption over the last few years.
According to the chief exec at Pebble, Eric Migicovsky, “It’s a great example of how our open platform allows Pebble to become even more useful in the everyday lives of more people.” There are still a few weeks left to the Fit Pay campaign, as it will run until March 9 in order to bring in the $120,000 it requires from backers in order to get these wearables moving forward.
The company is currently working directly with the suppliers for Pebble in order to be able to provide the smartstrap wearable technology in exactly the same materials, finishes and colors as the Pebble Time, the Time Steel and the Time Round smartwatches. In that way, form will not be sacrificed to function.
The TD Bank app has been updated so users with Android devices running 4.4 and higher will be able to add their TD Canada Trust issued Visa card and proceed to make mobile payments with their smartphones. Even without near field communication, the devices can be tapped against point of sale terminals in order to compete a purchase transaction.