Visa Europe's new manifesto seals its full commitment to the single market for payments in Europe
Credito Valtellinese, in co-operation with Visa Europe and Key Client Cards & Solutions, presents the first European trial of contactless VPAY debit card payments via mobile phone
Milan, 22 Settembre 2009 – Credito Valtellinese, Visa Europe and Key Client Cards & Solutions today announced the first mobile payments trial in Europe using TELLCARD
TELLCARD is Credito Valtellinese’s contactless V PAY debit product. This latest trial is an extension of the TELLCARD initiative already live in the province of Sondrio which uses contactless technology to enable low value payments (up to 15 euros) on Credito Valtellinese V PAY cards and allow the use of mobile phones as payment tools for everyday purchases (newspapers, coffee, fast food).
The main objective is to promote the use of electronic money further by exploiting mobile phones, which are familiar to consumers in Italy. Young people in particular are more inclined to using new technology in this way.
Fifty employees of Credito Valtellinese will be given a Nokia mobile phone equipped with “TELLCARD MOBILE” V PAY contactless application. Simply by waving the phone in front of the contactless readers it will be possible to pay for purchases up to 15 Euro at 180 retail points in the cities of Sondrio, Chiavenna, Morbegno, Tirano and Bormio. The trialists can pay with their mobiles using the same contactless acceptance infrastructure already deployed for the TELL CARD V PAY project.
The phones are equipped with NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality, a short range wireless connectivity technology standard designed for simple and safe communication between electronic devices. NFC enables the secure exchange of payment details between a contactless-enabled mobile phone and a standard contactless reader at the point of sale by bringing the devices within 4 cm of one another.
To make a purchase with the mobile phone the merchant just needs to enter the amount of the transaction and the consumer waves the phone in front of the reader: in less than one second, thanks to the TELLCARD MOBILE application featured in the phone, the transaction is completed and the screen indicates that the purchase was carried out successfully.
According to Davide Steffanini, General Manager Visa Europe in Italy « Italy is one of the most advanced mobile phone markets in the world. By combining this mobile sophistication with cutting-edge innovation in payments technology we can only begin to imagine what the future of payments will be in Italy. It is no surprise that Italy has been chosen to test out the first V PAY mobile project in Europe. Following the debut of contactless technology in Valtellina on V PAY cards, we are already preparing for a future where cards and cash may be displaced by payments using mobiles. Our vision is to put payment tools in the pockets of every Italian consumer – whether on the cards they use today or the mobiles they already carry with them tomorrow. This collaboration is an important step in a journey that will make this vision a reality».
Miro Fiordi, General Manager of Credito Valtellinese expressed appreciation: «Following the launch of TELLCARD last year, Credito Valtellinese – the first bank in Europe to test contactless technology on V PAY cards – continues to test innovative payment technologies for electronic transactions with this new pilot. Innovation is a hallmark and driving force of our bank. Our priority is to prepare for challenges of the future».
Evaristo Ricci, Deputy General Manager of Key Client Cards & Solutions commented: «TELLCARD MOBILE is the result of the ongoing commitment in electronic payments innovation by Key Client. Also thanks to the solidity of ICBPI Group our company is part of, we are constantly growing and seeking to support the whole banking system with our solutions: from the local bank to international organisations. To carry out ambitious projects it is necessary not only to have the right capabilities but also the expertise to cope with and solve all technical, financial and organisational activities connected with electronic payments. Key Client is able to guarantee this through our specialist services in issuing, processing, payment cards; and POS and ATM management.
In Europe, Visa has commercial contactless services on Visa cards in the UK, Turkey, Poland and Switzerland and pilots in France, Germany and Spain and is piloting mobile contactless payment in the UK, France, Switzerland, Finland, Spain and Italy.