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Vodafone adds bank card payments to NFC wallet

Telco to enhance service in Europe in Q2 thanks to new deals with Visa, transaction provider Carta Worldwide.

Vodafone announced on Monday that customers in Europe will soon be able to make bank card payments using its contactless m-payment service.

Until now, Vodafone Wallet users wanting to carry out transactions via near-field communications (NFC) have had to make do with a prepaid app that requires topping up from a credit or debit card.

However, thanks to new deals with Visa and transaction services provider Carta Worldwide, Vodafone Wallet will soon allow users to store their bank card details on their NFC SIM card, enabling payments to be debited directly from their bank account.

“The digital wallet just took another step forward. With a few clicks, customers will be able to add payment cards to their Vodafone Wallet and use Android smartphones to pay at contactless terminals,” said Mark Ritzmann, head of mCommerce at Vodafone, in a statement.

To take advantage of the upgraded service, customers input their bank details into the Vodafone Wallet app and confirm ownership of the card using the ‘Verified by Visa’ authentication service. Then they can pay by tapping their handset on an NFC-capable payment terminal. To make higher value payments, the user must punch in a four-digit PIN on their phone.

“We are really excited to bring this new payment service together with Vodafone, which will enable Visa credit and debit cards to be used for mobile contactless payments,” said Jeremy Nicholds, executive director of mobile at Visa Europe. “This initiative is part of Visa’s strategy to accelerate mobile payments and make it easier for banks to enable their cards to make payments on mobile phones and for consumers to pay in the most secure and convenient way.”

Vodafone did not specify an exact launch date or location for its upgraded m-payment service, just that it will be available in European markets from the second quarter onwards. When Vodafone Wallet was first rolled out in late 2013, the operator started with Spain followed by Germany and the Netherlands. Its U.K. launch came in October 2014.

Source: Total Telecom

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