GlobalPlatform, the organization that standardizes the management of applications on secure chip technology, has advanced its specification for the Management of Mobile NFC Services to specifically address how service providers can connect and communicate with other actors operating within the near-field-communication (NFC) ecosystem. The specification has been created based on input from industry bodies, including the European Payments Council, GSMA and the Association Française pour le ‘Sans Contact’ Mobile (AFSCM).
As is standard in the UK the cards enable transactions of £10 or less to be paid for by holding the card up to a special reader, without the need to enter a PIN or insert the card into a terminal. The transaction is debited directly from the customer’s current account in the same way that a standard card transaction is. The cards will still have chip and PIN which will be used for purchases and for ATM transactions. Periodically the card will prompt for the PIN to be entered to verify the customer’s identity.
“Barclays has long been a pioneer in banking. We were the first to launch the debit card in 1987 and now we are the first to give our customers the latest incarnation – the contactless debit card,” says Mark Parsons, MD, current accounts, Barclays. “We are confident that it is going to be really popular with customers.”
Over 8000 retailers already accept contactless payments including many outlets of Pret A Manger, Coffee Republic, EAT, Books etc, Krispy Kreme, Threshers and thousands of independent retailers, with more installing the technology every week.
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