MasterCard to Add Tokenization to MasterPass Wallet

MasterCard plans to add its tokenization service to the MasterPass digital wallet to boost security for online and in-app purchasing.

At the request of issuing banks, MasterCard will replace personal account numbers for consumer credit, debit, commercial and prepaid cards stored in MasterPass with a secure token — a new 16-digit number that cannot be repurposed to create counterfeit cards.

MasterCard will add tokenization to U.S. MasterPass wallets next year, before adding other markets where the MasterCard Digital Enablement Service is offered, the Purchase, N.Y.-based card network stated in an Oct. 20 press release.

"In tokenizing MasterPass, we’re creating for consumers a secure ‘digital stream’ directly from their bank which can be connected through the online and mobile banking tools they already know," Ed McLaughlin, chief emerging payments officer for MasterCard, stated in the release. "Together with our banks, we are creating the easiest and most secure way to pay today."

MasterCard added the in-app transaction capability to MasterPass in July, launching it a month later at Starbucks locations in Australia and the Shaw Theatres in Singapore.

As a result, MasterCard has reported an increase in everyday purchases through MasterPass in the Asia-Pacific region and has continued to introduce the digital wallet into new markets.