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Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

UK service providers must notify customers when they connect to a different network

New rules from UK telecoms regulator Ofcom will protect customers when they use their mobile phone on a foreign network. In addition, customers will be alerted if they are inadvertently roaming, perhaps because they're near an international border.
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Global smartphone market is set for recovery, says new forecast

A new forecast from research specialists Canalys shows the smartphone market is set to recover next year. Worldwide shipments declined by 12% last year but that decline is expected to slow to 5% this year.
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Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

New Hutchison/Vodafone network would be biggest UK operator

Vodafone Group plc and CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings Limited have agreed to combine their UK telecommunication businesses, respectively Vodafone UK and Three UK. The merger will create a large new network operator to compete with Virgin Media O2 and EE.
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UK mobile payment service Paym to close in March 2023

UK mobile payment service Paym will close on 7th March 2023. The service, which allowed users to make and receive payments using their mobile phone numbers, was launched in 2014.
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Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Which? seeks payout for Samsung and Apple smartphone owners

Consumer protection organisation Which? has been given permission by the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal to represent Apple and Samsung smartphone buyers in a legal case against chip manufacturer Qualcomm.
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Opinion Articles

This week at The Fonecast: 9th July 2011

Mark Bridge writes:

Roaming charges are back in the news this week. Not the latest round of price cuts (or, to be technically correct, lower price caps) but the European Commission's plans for the future. As well as continuing the downward pricing trend for a few more years, Neelie Kroes also wants wholesale interconnection at capped rates and the option of a separate 'roaming contract' when you travel abroad.

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The changing face of app stores

Mark Bridge writes:

When applications first hit the headlines, there were many stories about developers making small fortunes just from selling applications. Now there’s much more focus on promoting the app.

To understand what's changed - and to discover how developers get their apps noticed inside ever-expanding app stores - I spoke to Carsten Frien. He's CEO & co-founder of mobile advertising marketplace madvertise, a company that's based in Germany and has recently opened an office in the UK.

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Recycling mobile phones from Africa to Europe

Mark Bridge writes:

Recycling an unwanted mobile phone makes sense. It's good for the environment and it generates cash as well.

Newer phones recycled in Western Europe are likely to be reconditioned and resold locally, while older models may be reconditioned for use in developing countries. Damaged phones are either used for spares or are broken down for the metals and minerals in their components.

But what happens when people in those developing countries need to recycle their phones?

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The story behind the Pizza Express iPhone app

Mark Bridge writes:

Recently Pizza Express introduced a new iPhone application that lets customers book a restaurant table and pay their bill. The app was developed by 2ergo, a UK company based in Manchester.

Last week I spoke to Colin McCaffery, Product and Technology Director at 2ergo, to find out how difficult it was to get the app and the restaurant's own technology working together.

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RIM denies fire but admits to presence of smoke

Mark Bridge writes:

Anonymous opinions about technology are all over the web... and they're not always pleasant. PC versus Mac. Apple versus Android. WiMAX vs LTE. Even a relatively light-hearted rant can be misinterpreted. Still, if some unknown voice is trying to irritate you, you just ignore them - right?

Wrong. Not if you're Research In Motion.

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Thursday, October 23, 2014

Barclaycard bPay: wearable payment technology

Mark Bridge pays with a flick of the wrist

Mark Bridge writes:

Contactless payments. They're catching on, aren't they? You can even substitute a contactless credit or debit card for an NFC Oyster Card when travelling on London buses and the Underground. In fact, it's been six years since contactless cards were first accepted in the UK. Since then they've spread to supermarkets, coffee shops, off licences, pretty much anywhere; if your transaction is less than £20, you can just tap and go. (Oh, and for the benefit of any pedants: yes, I know they're not truly 'contactless' unless you've mastered holding your card a fraction of an inch above the reader. But you know what I mean.)

Those few extra seconds gained by contactless transactions are precious, it seems. Or perhaps we're not capable of remembering 4-digit PIN codes any more; an innovation that was introduced around ten years ago because we were no longer capable of writing our own names. Okay, I'm kidding. It's helped reduce some types of card fraud and has also shifted blame for fraudulent use from card providers to customers and retailers. Anyway...

Mobile contactless payments haven't proved so popular. The challenge has been getting secure payment details from your bank to your phone. Until recently it's needed an NFC-equipped phone and a SIM card that's been produced in partnership with a mobile network and bank. Of course, the introduction of Apple Pay may change that - either on its own, by accelerating the development of rival products or increasing the awareness of current alternatives including PayPal - but at the moment it's not especially easy to pay for real-world products with your phone.

At this point, bPay enters the scene. bPay is a wristband that's being produced by Barclaycard. The band is, in effect, a pre-paid contactless debit card. You can load money onto it from a Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card - and than you can then go out and touch your band against any of those in-store contactless payment terminals to pay. It was trialled at Pride in London and the Barclaycard British Summer Time festivals during the summer; a secure and convenient alternative to carrying a wallet when you're only wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

Okay, so it's not 'smartphone mobile' but it is at least 'easy-to-move mobile', which seems like a reasonable compromise to me. And, with the band very literally strapped to your wrist, it's a darned sight more physically secure than a smartphone. A winner all round. I thought I'd give it a go.

Signing up for bPay was pretty easy. A quick visit to bpayband.co.uk (don't get confused with the US banking app that has a similar name) was all I needed. You can choose a basic black or purple strap - or custom designs to show your support for Pride or Southampton FC. The whole process is probably easier than the average online purchase, I'd say.

That process involved giving my email address and mobile number, so I wasn't surprised to receive confirmation SMS and email messages. "Soon you'll be able to pay faster at thousands of retailers across the UK, including high street names such as Starbucks, Pret A Manger, Marks and Spencer, Boots and McDonald's."

bPay band (clip)

A week later my band turned up. Lovely packaging, incidentally. The device itself looks very much like a watch strap without the watch. A silver logo that I'd assumed was the NFC chip is actually the clip, while the active part is in the slightly bulging broader plain portion. Peering through a gap in the band reveals a slim physical card hidden inside.

I activate my bPay band via the web site. There's email and text message notification. Then I top up my bPay band with £25 from my credit card. Again, I receive email and SMS acknowledgement. I could have chosen to automatically reload my card whenever it 'runs out' but I've just gone for a one-off amount.

Incidentally, poking around the bPay web site shows me the 16-digit card number and expiry date. There's even an option to view my CVV - the three-digit security code that's usually on the back of a card - so it looks as though I could use my bPay band for regular non-contactless online payments if I wanted. Incidentally, the expiry date of my bPay band is May next year; less than eight months after it arrived. I wonder what's planned for then?

Physical card inside bPay band

Time for a real-world test. I strap the bPay band to my wrist, slip it under my shirt cuff and head to the local coffee shop that often doubles as my temporary office. "I'll pay with contactless", I say. It's slightly awkward to touch my wrist on the contactless terminal, mainly because it's below the main counter. I try not to give the impression I'm shoplifting biscuits. Eventually, after a couple of unsuccessful attempts, I manage to pay. It seems the secret is realising that the 'contactless' logo on the machine indicates the position of the reader. Obvious when you think about it.

I pick up my coffee - no fumbling to put a card back in my wallet - and walk off. I'm feeling reasonably pleased with myself. However, despite my success, there's no text alert. No email confirmation, either. Despite the initial flurry of messages, no confirmation is sent when I make a transaction. That's disappointing.

Logging in to the bPay web site on my smartphone enables me to check information about my recent payment. The site is optimised for mobile devices, so it's easy to read. But it also emphasises that bPay isn't any more a 'mobile' solution than sticking one of my contactless credit cards to the back of my phone would be. The option of SMS/email transaction updates - or even an app - could have made this feel so much smarter.

Mark Bridge is a freelance writer with a particular fondness for technology. He's one of the team at TheFonecast.com and is also a regular guest on Talk Radio Europe, where he talks about the latest gadgets.
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Categories: Retailing, Applications, OpinionNumber of views: 49717

Tags: uk nfc banking payments barclays

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