After nearly ten years and over €55 million, Dublin’s “Leap” transit card has finally hit the market, reports Herald.ie. The contactless smart card is now available for use on Dublin Buss, Luas, Dart and commuter rail lines around the capital. Rather than having to buy separate tickets or pay with cash, Dublin commuters now can […]

For more than two decades, the contactless card has been a key tool in managing security, access and payments. Whether it’s used to open doors, facilitate public transit ticketing or mange multiple applications, contactless has become an essential element in many environments. But how does the technology enable all these uses without ever touching a […]

Google is looking to bring its contactless mobile payments service to the UK in time for the 2012 Summer Olympics, according to eWeek Europe. Google Wallet, which enables customers to pay, redeem coupons and earn loyalty points all with a single tap of an NFC-enabled phone, could be tested in the UK as early as […]

Gemalto has announced that its “Allynis” Trusted Service Manager (TSM) solution has been selected to securely manage transactions on the Isis mobile commerce platform. Isis, the mobile commerce joint venture between Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, will enable U.S. customers to pay, present loyalty cards, and redeem coupons all with a tap of their NFC-enabled phones. […]

Barclays and Barclaycard have teamed up with the London Community Gospel Choir to put a new spin on charitable donations this holiday season, reports Shiny Shiny. At a performance in December at Covent Garden, the choir carried a specially designed collections bucket that could accept donations from contactless cards. Barclaycard was on hand to distribute […]

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 […]

Etisalat Afghanistan, the country’s fastest growing cellular operator, has announced the launch of its “mHawala” mobile financial services. Etisalat Afghanistan customers can use mHawala to make contactless mobile transactions at the point of sale, as well as purchase air time, pay bills and transfer funds to family and friends directly from their mobile phone. Users […]

AuthenTec has announced that its AES850 smart fingerprint sensor has been integrated into a new Fujitsu smart phone, the REGZA Phone T-01D. With AuthenTec’s AES850, the Android 2.3-based phone can be locked and unlocked via a quick scan of the user’s fingerprint. The sensor can also be used to control access to applications on the […]

Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) has expanded its Bear Bucks Program to include Blueberry Hill, a local hangout restaurant and music club, according to an independent student newspaper. Bobo Noodle House and Kayak’s coffee are also jumping on board and accepting them as part of a pilot program for off-campus businesses. These new additions […]

Absa, the largest consumer bank in South Africa, has announced an internal trial of NFC-enabled contactless payments, according to IT News Africa. Scheduled to kick off later this month, the pilot will see 500 Absa employees equip their BlackBerry smart phones with NFC-enabled MicroSD cards that can be used to make contactless payments. Participants will […]