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This reusable coffee cup has contactless payments built in
The UK's love of takeaway coffee is causing a huge waste problem, with less than 1 percent of disposable coffee cups being recycled. But Costa thinks it has a solution that will not only get you your daily caffeine hit faster but also help you do your bit to save the planet. The soon-to-be Coca-Cola subsidiary is launching a reusable cup with its own detachable contactless chip powered by Barclaycard's payment tech.
Garmin's vivoactive 3 smartwatch can now help you pay for things
Garmin is mostly known for fitness watches, but introduced something with the launch of its new vivoactive 3 smartwatch: Contactless payments. Several months after announcing this new feature would debut with the wearable, the company's Garmin Pay system is now live, allowing wearers to leave their wallets and phones at home when going out for a run.
Timex's new watch collection includes contactless payment straps
Barclaycard's various bPay accessories give previously inert objects the ability to make contactless payments, regardless of where you bank. Last year saw the introduction of the bPay Loop, a contactless card alternative that clings to watch straps. Understandably, though, you might not want to ruin the aesthetics of your neat dress watch with a brash rubber sidekick, but Barclaycard and Timex have now teamed up for a more elegant solution.
Tesco's mobile payments app is now called Pay+
Tesco's in-house mobile payment app PayQwiq has been around for a few years now, though it was only accepted in all Tesco stores from the beginning of this year. PayQwiq doesn't roll off the tongue all that well, but today it assumes a new name: Tesco Pay+. As always, the app functions as a virtual Clubcard and keeps a record of your receipts, but its main purpose is allowing you to brandish your phone at checkouts to pay for up to £250 of shopping with a tap.
London's Oyster cards are getting an app for easier top-ups
Contactless payments make it so easy to get around London that the trusty ol' Oyster card isn't as convenient as it once was. You can add funds or Travelcards online, for instance, but then have to wait 24 hours and tap in at a specific station to actually bring your card up to date. Transport for London (TfL) is making the Oyster card a little more 2017-friendly today, though, cutting that processing time down to 30 minutes and removing the need to visit a nominated stop. Tapping in at any train, Tube, tram or River Bus terminal will confirm the top-up, and by the end of autumn, buses will also be on that list.
Android Pay can soon dip into your PayPal account
Now that Android Pay is gaining steam around the world two years after its debut, it's become a convenient way to check out without reaching for your credit or debit card. For people who don't have plastic, however, making use of Android Pay just got a bit easier. That is, if you're a PayPal user in the US. Thanks to an update announced today, you'll soon be able to activate your PayPal account in Android Pay and use it online, in apps and in physical stores.
Sainsbury's finally caves to contactless
No, you haven't gone back in time. We're almost at the end of 2016, and Sainsbury's is just now confirming it'll soon begin accepting contactless payments in stores -- finally coming good on an old promise (sort of). Most Sainsbury's Local spots will have the facility before Christmas, with more locations catching up early next year. It's been a long time coming, but Sainsbury's isn't the only slowcoach. Contactless support in Asda and Tesco stores is far from ubiquitous.
All London black cabs will support contactless from next week
London's entire black cab fleet will be required to carry readers to process card and contactless payments as of Monday October 31st, Transport for London (TfL) has announced today. This is no great surprise, of course. The ball began rolling on the new rule late last year, and TfL set an October deadline this past March. For now, all that's asked of black cabbies is they have the facility, but from January next year readers will have to be mounted on the passenger side of the glass. Some hackney carriages have supported card payments for years, but for the majority of cabbies cash has remained king. From next week, though, it'll no longer be optional.
Barclays helps put bPay contactless chips in phone cases
Alongside its bPay wearables and key fob, Barclays (or more specifically, Barclaycard) brings contactless payments to other things by way of a simple NFC sticker. This looks most at home stuck to the back of a smartphone, but now the bank has partnered with cover merchant Case Station for some slightly more elegant, albeit bulkier solutions. After teaming up with a clothing brand on a jacket with a contactless chip hidden in the cuff, Barclays' new ally is now offering a range of protective, fully personalised cases with built-in bPay for popular phones from the likes of Apple, Samsung and LG.
Barclays' bPay Loop turns regular watches into contactless cards
At this point, Barclays now plays nice with Apple Pay and last month, formally shunned Android Pay in favour of its own app for the platform. In addition, the bank has a range of devices that put contactless payments on your wrist, keychain and anything portable that'll welcome a sticker. Between all this and the dapper jacket the tech is built into, you'd think Barclays would have contactless covered. But today the bank is adding another member to the bPay family called the Loop: A contactless chip in a small silicon suit that's designed to make wristwatches and wearables like fitness trackers contactless-ready.
Olympic athletes will sport Visa's new payment ring in Rio
For those making their way to this year's Olympic games in Rio this August, Visa will be the only card accepted at official venues -- a pretty sweet deal for the payment provider. But, rather than be satisfied with exclusive access to the wallets of a half million tourists, the company is using the event to introduce a new ring that will let people pay with a wave of their hand: No phone, wallet or even battery needed.
London taxis must accept contactless payments from October
It's official: London's entire black cab fleet will be required to accept card and contactless payments from October this year. The new regulation received final approval from the Transport for London (TfL) Board today, after the authority and Mayor Boris Johnson championed the proposal late last year. Some of the capital's Hackney carriages already take cards, of course, and apps like Hailo and Gett can simplify the payment process further where they're supported. But, for a decent proportion of black cabs, cash is still king.
Oyster and contactless cards now stretch to Gatwick Airport
If you live in London and regularly take the train to Gatwick Airport, we've got good news: starting today, you can use your Oyster card to travel to the station just outside departures. That applies to contactless cards and Apple Pay too, negating the need to buy a standalone ticket. Convenient, especially if you're up at the crack of dawn and want to avoid waiting for a self-service machine in the cold. (We've been there, and it's not fun.) Of course, you might get a cheaper fare by ordering a ticket online in advance. If you're poorly organised, however, or simply not fussed about saving a few pounds, this should make your next trip a little less stressful.
Barclaycard to launch NFC payments on Android ahead of Apple Pay
Since Apple Pay launched in the UK, several banks have been dragging their heels when it comes to supporting the contactless payment platform. Lloyds and Halifax begun a gradual roll-out just last week, casting renewed shade on Barclays, which appears to be more interested in its bPay gear (and jacket) than throwing iPhone and Apple Watch users a bone. The banking giant said some time ago it'll eventually play nice with Apple Pay, but it's decided in the interim to turn its attention to Android users. Its credit card arm, Barclaycard, announced today that from November, its Android app will begin supporting NFC payments. These payments won't be limited to the (recently raised) £30 contactless cap, too, with transactions of up to £100 allowed with PIN authentication (similar to Apple Pay).
You can now spend up to £30 on contactless cards in the UK
More than ever before, the UK is embracing cashless payment methods such as debit and credit cards, phones and online banking. Some of that boom can be attributed to contactless payments, a technology that lets you pay with a card, fob, smartphone or wearable just by waving it in front of a reader. No signature or pin code required. The only problem, until now, has been the £20 limit on individual transactions. It meant contactless was fine for smaller purchases, but useless for anything substantial like a family supermarket shop. But thankfully, that limit is being increased today to £30.
Contactless payments now accepted on London's cross-Thames cable car
Since contactless payments were first accepted on London buses a few years ago, it's become increasingly easy to get around the capital without cash or a loaded Oyster card. Whether you're equipped with a contactless card, Apple Pay or another mobile wallet, you can ride the vast majority of London transport services hassle-free. And as of today, you can now use contactless payments on the Emirates Air Line cable car, too. Sure, it's a limited service that only travels between the Royal Docks and the Greenwich Peninsula, but if you're after some lofty views of the capital, an empty wallet will no longer impede you. With this addition, London's transport network is almost as contactless-friendly as it can get, with Thames riverboats now the only service that still requires an old-fashioned ticket purchase.
HSBC and First Direct now support Apple Pay in the UK
Apple Pay's UK launch was spoiled earlier this month by lacklustre support from some of the nation's most popular banks. HSBC and First Direct were among the notable omissions, but today they're stepping up and giving customers the option to link their debit and credit cards. That means you can start using your iPhone or Apple Watch for contactless payments in Starbucks, Nando's and the London Underground, as well as inside apps like Domino's and Just Eat. Lloyds, meanwhile, has promised to support Apple Pay this autumn, but we're still waiting on dates from Barclays, Halifax, M&S, TSB and Bank of Scotland.
UK Apple Pay purchases to face the £20 contactless cap
Apple Pay is on its way to the UK next month, and from launch, all the big banks except Barclays, and a quarter of a million retail outlets will support it. And yet, despite so many day-one partners, it seems we're not quite ready for it. You see, Apple Pay isn't like any other contactless payment method we use already, since you authorise transactions with a Touch ID fingerprint scan. Contactless debit and credit cards don't require any kind of authentication, which is why transactions are currently limited to a maximum of £20, though the cap is increasing to £30 in September. The whole point of the two-step Apple Pay process is that you can make purchases of any amount using your iPhone, but today we're hearing that the majority of retailers will be bound by the £20 cap at launch.
Vodafone's mobile payment app to scrap top-ups with a new SIM
If you want to make contactless mobile payments in the UK, your options are pretty limited. Apple Pay is only available in the US (for now) and Google Wallet is bound to Gmail transactions and Google Play purchases in Britain. Spotting the opportunity to take an early lead, Vodafone is readying a new Visa-powered alternative. The company already offers an app called "Vodafone Wallet," but it relies on the user managing a separate SmartPass account. To pay with your phone, you first have to shuffle money across from your bank account to Vodafone's virtual piggy bank. It's a huge pain, so the network is prepping an updated app that allows customers to store their card details directly on the phone.
Londoners can now give to charity by paying for travel with a contactless card
More Londoners than ever are using contactless payments to get around the capital, and now, a new initiative called "Penny for London" is asking commuters to add charitable donations to their daily routine, too. The idea is that every time you use a contactless card to pay for travel, you also put aside a nominal amount -- between 1p and 10p -- for charity. Then, at the end of the each month, Penny for London charges the accumulated total to the same card, and forwards the money on to the Mayor's Fund for London, Cash for Kids, The Prince's Trust and other charitable organisations. To get involved, all you need to do is register the card you use to travel on the initiative's website, where you can also keep track of your donations, set up caps and change other preferences. While Barclaycard is responsible for developing the "micro-donation" system, any Visa or Mastercard can be used. The hope is other retailers that accept contactless payments will also sign up to participate in the initiative, but for now, at least you can feel like you're embarking on cramped, uncomfortable Tube journeys for a good cause.
