Orange has announced that it will launch the UK’s first contactless mobile payment system in conjunction with Barclaycard this summer.
The new service will allow customers of both companies to make small purchases (£15 or less) at more than 40,000 UK retail outlets using by simply waving their mobile phones at a contactless reader.
Payment capability for the transactions will be provided by MasterCard, while enhanced security has been ensured by utilising SIM cards in the mobile devices.
“This is the beginning of a revolution in how we pay for things on the high street,” said Gerry McQuade, the project’s chief development officer. “It’s a cultural shift that is as important as the launch of the personal credit card or ATMs.”
“We’re making something that’s been talked about for many years a reality and, very soon, using your mobile to buy a sandwich, a cinema ticket or, in time, even something bigger like a computer will simply be the norm.”
David Chan, chief executive of Barclaycard Consumer Europe, commented: “So far, handsets coming on to the market came with a promise of mobile payments in the future but by this summer Barclaycard and Orange customers will have the first phone ever that lets them do it.”
