Here’s more fodder for the chicken-and-egg divide on Near Field Communications adoption: a majority of users in a London trial of mobile-based contactless payments say they prefer the phone over using a contactless card for transit purposes.
The six-month trial that involved public transit payments through the UK’s Oyster transit payment—conducted by telco O2 and Transport for London—resulted in more than two-thirds of the 500 users saying the Near Field Communications-enabled phone was more convenient than a contactless card. Twenty-two percent indicated they actually used public transit more often because of the Barclaycard Visa payWave capabilities on their phones.
The successful trial could mean that “tube” travelers will have an NFC payment option within two years, according to Guardian.