The Queensland government has announced the distribution of the two millionth go card for its contactless ticketing system. Operated by Cubic Transportation Systems, the system is now logging more than 3 million trips a week – 80% of which are taken with go cards, according to Cubic. First rolled out three-years ago, the Queensland project […]

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has announced it will introduce an NFC sticker system designed to streamline the airport experience for frequent fliers. Dubbed Smart Pass, the NFC stickers can be attached to a mobile phone for wireless use at self service kiosks, security, Fast Track, lounges, duty free shopping and at the gate. Already piloted in […]

MasterCard and Central Catering Services have announced the successful deployment of contactless wristbands at the Isle of Wight Festival last weekend. Launched for the first time in the UK, the PayPass-enabled wristbands allowed festival goers in the VIP area to make contactless purchases at Central Catering’s bar and Jamie Oliver’s ‘Fabulous Feast’ restaurant. The wristbands […]

Tyfone has received a patent for technology enabling smart card secure elements to be provisioned over the network to enable secure NFC mobile payments. According to Tyfone, the patent covers the use of wired or wireless networks for provisioning financial identities and information into a smart card in an add-on slot of mobile devices. One […]

Hewlett-Packard has begun developing NFC-enabled phones and tablets designed to leverage mobile payments and loyalty rewards programs, say two anonymous sources familiar with the plans. According to Bloomberg, the move is an attempt for Hewlett-Packard to revive the Palm Inc. brand, which was being overtaken by the smart phone industry before HP bought the company […]

Washington D.C.’s Metro is moving ahead with an open fare system that will enable riders to pay for trips with their cell phones, contactless credit cards and even Federal IDs, according to the Washington Examiner. The new system, which would call for upgraded fare gates and card readers in buses and parking garages, will cost […]

Bling Nation has temporarily shut down its mobile payments service in order to roll out a new product later this year, reports American Banker. Since 2009, the Palo Alto-based company has been providing its NFC sticker in areas deemed “underserved” by major card companies. By affixing the NFC stickers to their mobile phones, customers could […]

MasterCard and ANZ have launched a pilot that will introduce NFC-enabled mobile payments to retail locations across New Zealand. The trial involves a select group of ANZ staff equipped with either a contactless PayPass sticker or a microSD memory card, which can be coupled with a mobile phone to enable MasterCard PayPass payments. According to […]

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has announced the launch of a smart card system at the Ashby Bike Station, a brand new facility that provides provides secure parking for up to 128 bicycles. According to BART, cyclists can now use smart cards to gain access to the facility and pay the three cents/hour bike parking […]

NXP Semiconductors’ CEO Richard Clemmer says the company expects to double its sales of NFC chips through 2012 and 2013, thanks to its involvement in the Google Wallet project, according to Totaltele.com. Google chose NXP to provide the NFC chips for its new Wallet service, which will enable Android users to make mobile contactless payments […]