Touch-and-pay Barclaycard launched
August 15, 2007 by admin
Filed under News, News-Credit-Cards
Barclaycard’s new OnePulse, an innovative contactless credit card, already has 1,000 shops in London signed up to accept it.
OnePulse is now all set to be launched next month.
The card’s major innovation is that items costing less than £10 will be able to be purchased in participating retail outlets without customers having to type in their PIN.
Guy Harvey, financial director at resteraunteurs Eat – one of OnePulse’s new clients – said that he was “excited” by the scheme.
“It will help us to eliminate some of the frustrations for our customers, such as queues in the busy lunchtime rush.”
The card was inspired by the Oyster card system, launched by Transport for London in 2003. For the first time, the city’s residents could touch in and out by using smartcards, and were no longer forced to buy paper tickets.
Users of OnePulse will also be able to use the new product as an Oyster card, Barclaycard has previously announced.
The BBC reports that Visa and Mastercards will also be introducing touch-and-pay technology in “certain London locations” from next month.
Barclaycard introduces ‘wave and pay’ credit card
July 13, 2007 by admin
Filed under News, News-Credit-Cards
In another small step towards a cashless society, Londoners will be able to make purchases on a combined Oyster and credit card from this autumn.
Along with more traditional transactions, the new ‘wave and pay’ card will perform the same function as the Oyster card, a ‘contactless’ payment system which has enabled quicker, cash-free payment at cheaper rates on the London public transport system.
The new product from Barclaycard, called the OnePulse, was developed in collaboration with the consortium which operates the Oyster card, TranSys.
In a further innovation , the card will be enabled for contactless payment for low value transactions. Users will be able to pay for purchases under £10 by swiping the card in a special reader, rather than having to enter their PIN.
The new technology has been successfully roadtested at Barclays’ Canary Wharf headquarters.
The card operates on the typical variable APR of 14.9 per cent, and offers zero per cent interest on products bought in the first six months.
Recent figures released by Apacs show that card spending has risen by 269 per cent in the UK over the past decade, with just a 17 per cent increase for cash.
Hybrid travel, credit card
January 18, 2007 by admin
Filed under News, News-Credit-Cards
Barclaycard has teamed up with the people behind Transport for London’s Oyster Card to bring a new era of payment to the UK.
Cubic Corporation, the firm that developed the Oyster Card, has struck a deal with Barclays in London to develop a hybrid card.
It will be useable both as an Oyster Card, allowing travel on the capital city’s transport network, and as a credit card.
The credit card element will work in exactly the same way as it does at present, as will the Oyster Card functions, but low value payments will now be revolutionised.
Holders of the new card will be able to make payments of £10 or under by simply waving the card in front of a receiver.
“Oyster has been a great success making journeys across London, cheaper, easier and quicker, but we want to make Oyster even more convenient,” said London Mayor Ken Livingstone.
“This new deal will mean that from next year people can buy low cost items and take advantage of Oyster fares on the same card, reducing the need to carry cash.”
A £10 limit has been put on the ‘wave and pay’ function for security reasons and the card, which will be tested in London in early 2007, also contains standard chip and pin technology.
