Barclaycard is launching its own range of contactless payments devices as Apple Pay is due to hit UK streets.
Following the trial of its bPay band, the card company is launching three wearable devices. These are another wristband, a fob and a sticker that can be stuck to anything with a flat service. The devices will link to the bPay digital wallet through an online portal.
Any Visa or Mastercard user can use the devices, which will be available from 1 July 2015 – the same month as Apple Pay is due to launch in the UK.
A new bPay online portal and multi-platform app will allow users to manage their device and account.
Barclaycard ended its trial of payment wristband bPay in May 2015 and replaced it with a more permanent version.
Barclaycard launched a scheme testing the data collection capabilities of bPay in August 2014, using the bands not only for payments, but for customer relationship management.
The firm then partnered with Transport for London to allow consumers to use bPay contactless payment bands on the tube to avoid card clash after the London Underground began accepting contactless payments.
“People told us they are looking for ways to pay that offer greater flexibility and choice and fit better with different lifestyles,” said Mike Saunders, managing director of digital consumer payments at Barclaycard.
Read more about contactless payments
“We’re building on this success with our expanded bPay proposition, and have produced a range of wearable products you can use to pay for everything in your day – from travelling to work and grabbing a coffee, to buying your lunch or picking up groceries from the supermarket,” said Saunders.
Kevin Jenkins, UK and Ireland managing director at Visa Europe, said: “Bpay is a clear example of the reality of payments in the UK. The British public is embracing digital ways to pay because they value the benefits of doing so: security, convenience and speed.
“From our research we know consumers see their bank as a key provider of this kind of innovation. Going forward, the challenge is to continue to answer this demand. As a nation we are already a world leader in designing and building payments. Ideas like bPay help ensure we remain that way.”
Users of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch will be able to pay for goods and services through contactless terminals using Apple Pay from July 2015.
