Toronto mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi has promised to deliver Presto smart cards to the city’s “failing” transit system should he be elected, according to Inside Toronto. After threatening to implement a Presto system for some time, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) opted ultimately for an open payment system that will accept tap and go payment […]

Australian airline QANTAS is trailing new smart card-based check-in system designed to cut down on time spent in queues, according to The Australian. Qantas will also be testing personal electronic bag tags for upper-tier frequent fliers that can automatically store details of up to four flights. The trial, which involves QANTAS’ partners IBM, Fujitsu, Telstra, […]

EV-Box of the Netherlands has begun production on smart card-enabled electric vehicle charging stations, according to evworld.com. The new stations require drivers to identify themselves with a contactless ID card, dashboard tag or mobile phone in order to charge up their cars. The first EV-Box stations have already been installed in several locations in The […]

IE Market Research Corporation has announced the release of its new report, 3Q.2010 Global Mobile Payment Market Forecast, 2010 – 2014. The report predicts that in 2010 alone, mobile payment users will exceed 500 million. This number is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate of of 20.5% to reach over 1 billion […]

Companiesandmarkets.com has released a new report providing statistics on market size, competitor market shares and forecasts for the Japanese payment card market. The report, “Payment Cards in Japan,” also provides an overview of regulation, competitor activities, issuer strategy and product innovation, including developments in contactless, mobile payments, online and prepaid cards up to 2014. According […]

The recession has lead a growing number of organizations to launch smart card-based loyalty schemes in hopes of boosting profits, according to hidglobal.com. Smart loyalty cards come equipped with contactless technology to offer greater speed and security than ‘non-technology’ loyalty cards, says HID Global. The consumer end hasn’t been as quick to pick up on […]

Gemalto today announced it will provide its Trusted Services Management service to support the launch of NFC applications in Thailand. Gemalto is partnering with KASIKORNBANK, the country’s second largest bank, and with Advanced Info Services, the nation’s largest telecommunications operator, to provide NFC services to Thai consumers such as touch-and-go mobile payment. Gemalto is entrusted […]

Motorola is working with Tata Docomo and Airtel to launch its parental control service, or iSIM (intelligent SIM) in India, according to telecomyatra.afaqs.com. iSIM, which has already been launched in Europe, Middle East and Africa with the help of Bipper Communication, is an NFC-enabled Web service that enables parents to manage their children’s use of […]

Discount code website www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk just conducted a flash poll that found 72% of Brits in favor of contactless technology in all supermarket stores. The poll, which drew 1,052 participants, was conducted in reaction to (The Co-operative Food’s recent decision to launch a contactless payment pilot in 100 of its stores)[http://www.contactlessnews.com/2010/07/14/uk-grocery-chain-rolls-out-contactless-payment-trial], as well as the site’s […]

UK roadside restaurant chain Little Chef has announced the deployment Barclaycard’s contactless payment technology at all 173 of its locations. The rollout, which will enable customers to pay for the check with a tap of their credit or debit cards, also includes Little Chef’s Coffee Tempo brand and Burger King franchises. Although Barclaycard has already […]