Vodafone Bringing NFC Payments to Spain with SmartPass

Consumers in Spain will be able to make mobile payments using Vodafone SmartPass, a Near Field Communication-enabled mobile wallet, in partnership with Visa.

The SmartPass mobile app houses a Visa prepaid card that can be loaded with funds and used to make purchases. Consumers can pay at more than 250,000 stores in Spain, more than one million stores across Europe and do direct cash transfers to other SmartPass users.

"Vodafone customers can now perform Visa payments using your mobile phone at any of the 250,000 payment terminals enabled with this technology that is already in Spain, as well as in the more than one million terminals across Europe,” says Sandra Alzetta, head of the mobile business unit of Visa Europe, in a Sept. 3 press release.

Visa and Vodafone launched SmartPass in Australia in November 2012.

By 2014, the Vodafone Wallet will allow credit and debit products from all financial institutions to be stored within the app, plus it will house coupons and loyalty programs.

Last year, Orange, an NFC solutions provider, announced it’d be launching Orange Cash, a contactless prepaid capability in Spain with MasterCard Inc. during the fourth quarter of 2013.

While NFC has struggled to catch hold in the U.S., the technology has picked up steam on other continents, including Australia and most of Europe.