Member Article

Time to put money where your mobile is…

The World Wide Developer conference always creates a buzz. But unlike most technology events, the WWDC is Apple’s flagship event and one that gets the whole world talking – not just the computer-literate amongst us.

Although it was a number of months ago now, for me it was the revelation of Apple Pay which still resonates. So much so that I felt compelled to join the likes of Gwen Stefani and Stephen Fry in commenting on the event, live!

I could tell then, and still see now how Apple Pay (and similar services) will revolutionise the way we shop particularly with High Value Contactless (HVC) getting closer.

Contactless is King

At the same time, contactless is becoming the preferred method of payment for consumers. In fact, ‘contactless’ has even been named as one of the words of 2014. This is for good reason as the technology continues to shape the way we shop.

Across the 197,786 bank-owned terminals available in the UK an impressive 370 contactless payments were made every minute across the last year. And this appetite for contactless payments doesn’t look like stopping either. Visa Europe predicts that 500 million contactless payments will be made between September and December 2015.

However, one of the draw backs of contactless payments is that spending is capped to £20. No matter in what shop or what you wish to buy, you are unable to spend more than £20. This is where High Value Contactless comes in. High Value Contactless allows you to pay for goods with your mobile device that exceeds £20.

HVC, as easy as 123

Although the need for HVC is still a number of months away the high-street is already embracing it. Of the hundreds of thousands of terminals that currently accept contactless payments, one by one are being converted to allow HVC payments. One of the biggest mobile phone retailers in the country has already updated its estate of 2,500 Pin Entry Devices.

Such eagerness from the high-street means that both retailers and customers are in for a treat come the new year. By accepting high value contactless mobile payments, retailers are able to provide a more convenient shopping experience, enabling consumers to leave cash and cards at home.

Customers will relish such flexibility, convenience and choice but will also be able to make more secure card payments, as when prompted customers enter their PIN on their own smart device, affording them greater privacy and reducing the chance of their PIN being exposed.

What Next

UK consumers have really embraced contactless payments already, but this potent combination of convenience and security is the next evolutionary step for the high-street and will turn even more nay-sayers into mobile payment converts.

So as the days count down until Apple Pay’s introduction, retailers will be working double time to allow HVC in their stores while customers will be looking to make their mobile device even more integral to their shopping experience.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mark Prior-Egerton .