Contactless payments

In the U.S., most banks and retailers seemed to have given up on contactless cards with the 2011 demise of the much-publicized Chase Blink brand. But the payment format is making a strong comeback in 2018.

The U.K. market has reached a tipping point where consumers are conducting more in-store transactions using a contactless form of payment (card or phone) instead of a process that requires the card to be inserted into a POS terminal.

Wirecard is partnering with Visa in Romania on a white-label digital wallet service enabling any card issuer to offer mobile contactless payment solutions through a wallet featuring card controls and account notifications.

Australians' love for contactless payments is driving the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group to incorporate mobile withdrawal technology to its ATM network.

Contactless payments are a big success story in most countries around the world—including developing markets—but not in the U.S.

Along with activating contactless payments at its store terminals, Costco has opened its checkout lines to Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay. But there’s a catch.

The U.S. may be next to see a surge of contactless credit cards, following other major markets around the world. But it’s unclear whether enough U.S. consumers are interested in contactless payments for issuers to make the investment.

Contactless payments have simplified the checkout experience around the world, allowing customers to get on with their lives a bit quicker with a simple tap of a contactless-enabled card, phone or device, writes Dan Sanford, vice president of consumer products at Visa.

Contactless card and mobile payments are set to see significant uptake in Australia, already a world leader in contactless card acceptance, as the country starts to implement open transit payments.

The department of Transport for the West Midlands is looking at how to provide a smart ticketing system to ensure that contactless card users get the best rate on a journey.