U.S. Bank, together with Visa and Oberthur Technologies, has announced the release of a new dual interface payment card combining Visa PayWave contactless technology, EMV chip and magnetic stripe. Designed to be compatible with all credit cards systems around the world, the U.S. Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa credit card will be the first dual […]

The pressure for banks in the U.S. to increase their security for online access to personal accounts may have reached the tipping point. The news that hackers stole information from 200,000 Citi credit cardholders may lead to financial institutions enabling stronger authentication for online access, according to a Reuters report. Much of this pressure has […]

PATCO, the high speed rail line connecting Philadelphia and Camden County, N.J., is updating its fare system to allow passengers to manage their contactless ‘Freedom’ transit cards over the Internet, according to Philly.com. Starting next week, passengers will be able to log on to www.patcofreedomcard.org to top up their cards and view their transaction history. […]

Edenred, Commuter Check and WiredCommute have announced the launch of a new contactless Commuter Check Prepaid MasterCard card for tap and go payment on public transit. Equipped with MasterCard’s PayPass technology, the card is designed to save commuters money by enabling contactless fare payments through their employer sponsored pre-tax benefit program. The new card can […]

Barclaycard has come out with a new TV ad campaign for its Quick Tap contactless mobile payment service with Orange, reports Marketingmagazine.co.uk. The new promotion is a slightly different take on Barclaycard’s other ‘rollercoaster’ advert, in which the mobile phone is substituted for a contactless credit card. Unveiled last month, Quick Tap allows UK consumers […]

Canada’s Suncor Energy has announced it will begin piloting Interac Flash contactless debit transactions in select Petro-Canada service stations towards the end of the year, with a nationwide roll out slated for early 2012. The service will enable drivers to pay for fuel by tapping their Interac Flash debit card against a contactless reader installed […]

Paramatta received a grant for building mobile applications to aid in its tourism efforts. This Australian city will use the grant to implement NFC and smart card systems so that tourists can shop throughout the city. Paramatta is one of 12 cities chosen to receive the grant and hopes it it can even help local […]

Visa says they expect some 20 million contactless PayWave cards will be in use in the UK by the end of the year, according to Finextra. Spurned by the recent roll out of contactless terminals in McDonald’s, Starbucks and other major retail chains, Visa says the rate of contactless card issuance will continue to accelerate, […]

MasterCard has announced that BP/Aral will deploy MasterCard PayPass contactless payments terminals in its service stations across the UK, Germany and Switzerland over the next two years. The upgrade will allow BP/Aral customers with MasterCard PayPass or Maestro PayPass cards to pay for fuel and other purchases, such as coffee and snacks, by simply tapping […]

Juniper Research has released a new report predicting that NFC mobile contactless payment transactions will reach nearly $50 billion worldwide by 2014, with North America and Western Europe accounting for 50% of the market. The research company sees 2011 and 2012 as “banner years” for the roll out of NFC services, with the recent UK […]