Contactless Smart Cards, RFID, Payment, Transit and Security

U.S. Bank wins Paybefore Awards for contactless card programs

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

U.S. Bank’s ReliaCard Visa and PayID cards have won Paybefore Awards in the Best Government Program category and in the Most Innovative Program category, respectively. U.S. Bank will now vie for best-in-category distinction for both awards, which will be announced during the Paybefore Awards ceremony on Feb. 22 at the Prepaid Expo USA.

The U.S. Bank ReliaCard Visa is a reloadable card designed to replace paper checks for government agencies with recurring cash and check disbursement activities, such as child support or unemployment insurance. Cards are issued through a partnership with state agencies, and cardholders can use the cards everywhere Visa Debit cards are accepted worldwide.


Through its PayID program, U.S. Bank is the first card issuer in the United States to pilot a product that allows cardholders to use a single card for traditional magnetic stripe purchases, Visa payWave transactions and to gain access to secure buildings.

U.S. Bank employees participating in the pilot can use a U.S. Bank AccelaPay Visa Card, a prepaid payroll account, to make purchases and enter their secure work location. The cards also contain the MicroPass 4006 platform from INSIDE Contactless, consisting of two applications: the Visa payWave application, which allows for contactless payment at the point of sale, and the HID Global iCLASS application, which allows for contactless access to secure facilities at U.S. Bank. [end] 

Superdrug, one of Britain’s largest beauty and health retailers, has introduced contactless payment for its in-store customers, according to Retail Gazette.

Created by Streamline and Visa Europe, the contactless system will enable customers to make payments of up to £15 (approx. USD $23) by simply waving their contactless bank card at the more than 50 participating Superdrug stores in London and Liverpool.

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German bank, Sparkasse will pilot contactless payments for its bank credit card users, reports Venture Village.

Locations in Hannover, Braunschweig and Wolfsburg will be some of the first for the trial, which begins in April. More than 1.3 million customers will receive the new bank cards complete with contactless functionality.

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NXP and Bank Mega partnered for a collaborative venture to bring an enhanced contactless ticketing solution to Trans Studios Makassar and Bandung, two of Indonesia’s largest indoor theme parks.

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The UK’s YESpay International and YES-wallet.com have teamed up to build an NFC-enabled cloud-based mobile payments platform.

By integrating the YES-wallet Pouch digital wallet with YESpay EMBOSS payment service, the companies will provide a platform that encompasses e-Money, pre-paid and gift-card payments based on Visa PayWave and MasterCard PayPass contactless standards.

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Turkcell, Turkey’s largest mobile operator, has announced the launch of a SIM-based NFC road toll payment application on the Turkcell T11 smart phone.

Developed in collaboration with Bank Asya, the app allows users to migrate their plastic KGS toll payment cards onto their T11 smart phone to pay for fares when crossing bridges and freeway turnpikes.

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The BlackboardPay program walked away with the Best-in-Category award during the general session of the Prepaid Expo USA held earlier this week in Orlando. Blackboard won in the Best Government-Funded Prepaid Program for its financial aid and refund distribution offering that gives students access to their financial aid without service and transaction fees.

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