ABN Amro NV announced it has completed an internal test of contactless debit cards for small-value transactions. The Dutch banking company expects to conduct a larger test starting this summer.
The issuer is evaluating MasterCard Inc.'s PayPass technology on its Maestro PIN-debit cards. Participating cardholders can make purchases of up to $31 without entering their PINs.
Contactless payments have caught on in the United Kingdom, but other European countries are moving more slowly, said Matt Simester, a director with Auriemma Consulting Group's U.K. office.
"Even though there was a bit of lag time between the U.K. and [the rest of] Europe, other companies were probably just waiting to see what the best practices looked like in a different jurisdiction," he said.
