Britain's first mobile payments service launches today, with Orange and Barclaycard teaming up to allow shoppers to make small cashless payments directly from their mobile phone.
The service, called Orange Quick Tap, utilises NFC, a system already enjoying wide use and success with the London Underground Oyster card system.
To use the service, customers can load up to £150 from their bank account on to the phone at any one time, and can use the device for payments of up to £15 in any one transaction, making it ideal for all the small purchases, and removing the need for keeping too much loose change in the pocket.
Customers who wish to take advantage of this new service will need to be holders of a Barclaycard, Barclays debit card, or Orange Credit Card. Currently the service works with a Samsung Tocco Lite handset, with more phones expected to be added to the range in the near future.
Pippa Dunn, Orange Vice President, said: "We no longer use our mobile phones simply for talking and texting - apps, cameras and music players allow us to use them for a lot more. So, making contactless payments with your mobile is a natural and really exciting innovation which we're pleased to be leading on in the UK. Orange Quick Tap is the first of its kind, a service that allows you to pay for everyday items just by tapping your phone wherever you see the contactless payment symbol. It’s going to start a revolution in the way we pay for things on the high street."
