Vodafone Australia has announced their brand new mobile payment system simply by using their mobile phone. Called SmartPass, the new service uses Visa’s payWave network and NFC to allow you to pay for goods and services by simply waving your phone.
Of course, you need a compatible device to support SmartPass – most of the high-end Android and Windows Phone 8 phones do support the technology, iPhone also can via a third-party accessory. Vodafone users will also need to get an NFC-SIM from Vodaphone, and will have to register for a virtual prepaid Visa cardvia the SmartPass app.
After signing up, users can simply load funds to the card – via the app – from their existing Visa and MasterCard payment cards. It should be noted that you can only hold up to $1000 on the virtual prepaid card at any given time.
Vodafone is also partnering up with ANZ to provide the prepaid cards to load funds, and Samsung is the “device partner” during the preliminary stages.
“NFC technology has the capability to address some of the pain-points of modern commerce; such as tracking and getting more mileage out of loyalty schemes, or taking advantage of retail offers which currently come to us in various forms, making it difficult for us to use,” Vodafone’s Thomas Roets, General Manager of Strategy and Business Development, said.
“Put simply, enhancements in smartphone technology will not only deliver us with a smarter way to shop, but will also make life a whole lot easier, saving us time and possibly even money.”