Taiwan to launch contactless payment with upgraded EasyCard
29 March, 2010
category: Contactless, Transit
Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou has announced the expansion of the country’s EasyCard payment system, according to focustaiwan.tw.
Starting April 1, customers will be able to use their EasyCards to make contactless payments at participating stores nationwide.
The cards, which were originally used to pay public transportation fares, feature a maximum storage value of $314.47 and a daily spending limit of $93.42.
Ma made the decision to expand EasyCard’s capabilities after a recent visit to Hong Kong, where Octopus cards are popular for making small contactless purchases.
There are currently 18.4 million EasyCards in circulation, and the number is expected to break 20 million by 2011.
According to focustaiwan.tw, President Ma hopes that the upgraded cards will be embraced as a “life” card, and that their use will expand beyond Taipei.
Among the 10,000 participating retailers are 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, OK-Mart, Hi-Life, Starbucks, Wellcome and Matsusei supermarkets, Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza and many more.
Read more here.