New Wave of Contactless Payments Speeds Up Profits

Contactless payments produce a entire new field of payment choices for merchants. Contactless payments are speedy, basic and pave the way for greater earnings. A intelligent computer chip, with data and an antenna is embedded into a credit card, debit card or fob. When the card or fob is tapped on a radio frequency reader, the reader sends out a radio signal that activates the card, the details on the card is read and the payment is processed with no a signature for purchases much less than $25.00 with no chargebacks to the merchant.

Merchants dont want to worry about compatibility with their present systems or security said, Mohamed Khan, President and Founder of ViVOtech, Santa Clara, Calif.-based developer of contactless software program, transaction management systems and readers.

We have been operating closely with processors, card issuers and terminal providers to produce an open system making use of the IS0 14443 regular. It utilizes secure encryption technology. The contactless card doesnt leave the buyers hands therefore it is a lot more secure and theres no skimming of data, assured Kahn who sees contactless as a great chance for merchants to boost income. He envisions contactless payments as a replacement for cash due to the fact they are more rapidly, far more convenient and price less due to less shrinkage and less labor involved.

There are two kinds of contactless readers obtainable: Peripheral Contactless Readers (PCRs) that plug in to current POS terminals, and Integrated Contactless Readers (ICRs) that replace classic readers and supply both magnetic-stripe- and contactless-reading capabilities. Merchants can buy either type of reader. The PCRs generally expense about $150. Some merchant service providers such as Acies, nonetheless, are providing offers competitive plans and totally free readers with terminals.

David Robertson, Publisher of The Nilson Report (Carpinteria, Calif.) estimates that there are 12 million contactless cards at present in circulation in the U.S. He predicts that 1st contactless successes will be at the brand name retailers and then merchants in the locations where cards are deployed will adhere to suit when their customers ask to use their contactless cards.

Consumers are asking for contactless in the New York Metro region where a lot of cards have been dropped, says Oleg Frier CEO and President Acies, Inc, a New York City-headquartered national payment processing and financial services provider. Other locations exactly where there are substantial contactless readers and cards contain Atlanta, Philadelphia, Denver, Dallas and Orlando, says Khan.

Research show the speed and added worth of contactless payments since normally when a person does not spend with cash the quantity of the transaction increases. Visa trials showed their contactless card transactions had been 25% faster than cash. MasterCard PayPass trials showed an enhance in transaction amounts and 12 to 18 second reductions in payment occasions for drive-thru transactions. Aite Group reports that CVS, the drug retailer chain, has identified the average contactless transaction takes 12.five seconds, versus 26.7 seconds for magnetic-stripe card payments and 33.7 seconds for a money transaction.

Merchants who have a modest time frame to service buyers, such as quickly food restaurants, coffee homes, movie theatres, drug shops, convenience retailers and drive-thrus can benefit drastically from contactless payment techniques. McDonalds, AMC Theatres, CVS, Meijer, Duane Reade, Regal Entertainment, Ritz Camera, Arbys, Cold Stone Creamery, Eckerd, Carls Jr., Very good Times Burger, KFC, RaceTrac, Subway, Sonic (Drive-In Restaurants) and Walgreens have installed contactless readers. Convenience shops are gearing up to accept contactless payments. Contactless readers are being installed in 5,300 7-Eleven retailers and 350 Sheetz shops. WaWa markets is installing over 2000 readers in its 540 retailers co-branded with a credit card and loyalty plan.

Card associations are also gung-ho for contactless payments.

It takes a village to launch a new technologies, at Visa, we have an absolute commitment to assure good results of contactless payments, mentioned Elvira Swanson, Visa spokeswoman. Visa, with 4 million Visa Contactless cards in circulation, provides collateral materials, on the internet demos, and merchant support teams to aid educate merchants.

This is the actual factor. Contactless is beyond the chicken and egg concept stage now, when you look at how a lot of monetary institutions have created the decision to offer mifare sdk kit you contactless and the number of national merchants accepting it, mentioned T.J. Sharkey, Vice President, Organization Development, U.S. Acceptance, MasterCard International. MasterCard is supporting contactless in a lot of ways. Merchants who accept contactless payments are listed at the MasterCard Web internet site where there are mifare development kit demonstrations on how their Tap N Go, PayPass cards perform. Tv commercials illustrating their PayPass cards are airing nationally.

Banks mifare issuing contactless cards consist of Citibank, MBNA, HSBC (debit cards), JP Morgan Chase, Key Bank (debit cards) and Citizen.

There have been numerous pilot contactless programs in sports stadiums such as San Francisco, Seattle, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Lately, yet another form factor of contactless has been added into the mix, with the trial of NFC (Near Field Communications) contactless payments from cell phones at the Philips Arena in Atlanta. Season ticket holders with Chase-issued Visa credit accounts and Cingular Wireless accounts can make contactless payments by basically holding their Nokia mobile phones equipped with Philips' NFC semiconductor chips and ViVOtech software close to one particular of the 150 terminals. NFC is compatible with ISO 1443 readers has other capabilities such as the potential to transmit a coupon to a reader.

Contactless payments are the wave of the future and will modify the way the world pays for purchases, Khan mentioned enthusiastically.

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