Contactless payments

Vending machines for years have been gradually shifting to contactless payments, but coronavirus has sparked changes in the machines’ core technology to enable hygienic use with social distancing.

The coronavirus pandemic has cast a shadow over the use of cash, which is often perceived as dirty because it frequently changes hands and is almost never washed.

The coronavirus pandemic has cast a shadow over the use of cash, which is often perceived as dirty because it frequently changes hands and is almost never washed.

Trust in biometrics solves the major obstacle to even wider contactless adoption: contactless spending limits, says Fingerprints' Christian Frederickson.

Mass transit usage cratered during the coronavirus pandemic, but there’s signs of recovery based on how people are paying for their fares.

Derek Webster, founder and CEO of the mobile point of sale provider CardFlight, talks with Daniel Wolfe, editor-in-chief of PaymentsSource, about the data CardFlight collects on small-business spending, which it updates every week during the coronavirus pandemic.

G4S Plc has entered talks with workers over a plan to slash jobs at its U.K. cash-handling business as COVID-19 spurs consumers to use other forms of contactless payment.

It is no longer a matter of whether a business should be modifying their infrastructures to support these new in-store and online purchasing behaviors, but when and, most importantly, how quickly, says Fattmerchant CEO Suneera Madhani.

Contactless and mobile payments have surged, but there will still be countries and markets that stick to cash, says PPRO's James Booth.

The technology addresses both security and hygiene concerns, says Fingerprints' Lina Andolf-Orup.

To truly bridge the gap for moving small-dollar transactions to mobile and contactless, vast areas of the retail industry will need to adapt to accept cashless transactions.

Whether they take the form of a mobile wallet or a touch-free credit card, contactless payments are poised to take off as consumers — wary of using terminals and ATMs or handing cards back and forth — change their habits.

A global health crisis. Economic free fall. A reckoning over racism and inequality. We will not be the same after this — and neither will banking.

With Americans traveling less due to the pandemic, the card, issued by Synchrony, is tailoring rewards to everyday purchases, such as groceries. It also has a contactless feature that could appeal to shoppers fearful of touching terminals.

Apple Inc. faces a twin-pronged attack from European Union antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager amid concerns the U.S. tech giant’s App Store and Apple Pay services squeeze developers and potential rivals.

Backed by its consumer survey acknowledging a significant shift in payment preferences to contactless options since the COVID-19 pandemic, Fattmerchant is launching software that can quickly add contactless payment acceptance for its merchants.

Even though some organizations are now saying they don’t believe cash is a major culprit behind the spread of COVID-19, those taking extra precautions can rest assured they can continue to use contactless payments, while benefiting from the added fraud protection it presents, says FICO's TJ Horan.

Meeting customers where and how they want to pay is critical for completing transactions, and while retailers want to offer as healthy and safe of a solution as possible, but that can be expensive and complex, says Merchant Advisory Group's John Drechny.

As merchants are challenged to adapt their business just to survive, and consumers push for greater control over where and how they spend, the payments industry is in a position to align the various needs, says Splitit's Brad Paterson.

Walt Disney Co. has at least temporarily cut several reservation and incentive features tied to its closed loop payment system, revealing the complexities of mixing health guidance with tourism.