ContactlessNews | MBNA announces massive roll out of contactless payment cards in UK

Monday, November 1, 2010

MBNA, a European subsidiary of Bank of America, has begun a two-year program to roll out contactless credit cards for its millions of UK customers.

According to the MBNA, 5 million of the company’s cards will have contactless technology by the end of 2011, adding to the existing 10 million contactless credit and debit cards already in the UK market.

According to MBNA, customers do not need to do anything to receive the new cards, as they will be automatically updated and distributed upon reissue.

Additionally, MBNA says the cards will feature several new layers of security. For example contactless cards cannot be used until a PIN is entered on first use, payments are limited to up to £15 per transaction, and customers will occasionally be asked to enter their PIN number to ensure the transactions are valid.

According to MBNA, adoption of contactless payment among UK businesses is gathering pace, with Subway, Pret a Manger, Caffe Nero and others already installing terminals. In addition, a host of big-name retailers are either trialing the technology or rolling it out, including the Co-op, Boots, Spar, National Trust gift shops and Little Chef restaurants.

HSBC starts roll out of contactless bank cards

HSBC announced that it will begin the conversion to contactless technology this month, replacing all customer banking debit cards, according to ThinkMoney.com.

The bank will start to roll out the new contactless cards to existing customers whose debit cards are due to expire this month and then continue the process as cards expire. Customers who don’t want a contactless card can opt out by contacting their bank before their current card expires.

The Co-operative Food trials contactless payments

The Co-operative Food has started trialing contactless payments in its small shops and convenience stores in an effort to generate a better means for customers to pay for goods, according to Retail Week.

Canary Islands goes contactless with Visa and Ingenico

Ingenico is working together with Cajasiete, a financial services provider based in Canary Islands, Spain, on the deployment wireless terminals to support a new program of contactless payments at throughout the islands.

Infineon lends a hand in Europe contactless bank card project

The German Banking Industry Committee has partnered with Infineon Technologies to launch one of Europe’s biggest contactless payment trials in the metropolitan area of Hanover, Braunschweig and Wolfsburg.

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