Smart debuts NFC payments in Philippines
09 December, 2011
category: NFC
Smart Communications, a mobile operator based in the Philippines, has announced the launch of its new Smart Money “Tap2Pay” mobile payments solution.
The first service of its kind in the Philippines, Tap2Pay lets users make payments with a simple tap of their NFC-enabled phone at the point of sale.
To promote the new offering, Smart is giving Nokia C7 owners with postpaid subscriptions a free Smart Money account with a starting balance of PHP 50 (about $1.15).
C7 owners can then use Tap2Pay to gain entry to the Worldbex Services International’s World Bazaar Festival. Running all through next week in Manila, the World Bazaar Festival is the Philippines’ longest running charity event, according to Smart.
Tap2Pay users can simply tap their handset against a poster at the bazaar entrance to redeem their ticket. Once inside, users can make charitable donations with a simple tap of their phone.
Smart says it is already looking to expand Tap2Pay with more merchants and NFC-enabled handsets.