Scotiabank adds multi-loyalty programs to mobile banking apps

Customers of Canada’s Scotiabank can now add, access and track their loyalty cards from 18 different programs using the bank’s mobile banking and My Mobile Wallet apps, which have been integrated with “multi-loyalty program functionality” supplied by loyalty network Points. “Scotiabank will leverage Points Loyalty Wallet APIs which offer loyalty programs, financial institutions and retailers a quick-to-market, white-labelled service that allows balance tracking and loyalty commerce transactions,” Points says.

New App Makes RFID Deployments Low-Cost

Although the cost of tags, readers and software has been dropping in recent years, RFID deployments are still unaffordable for many companies seeking item-level inventory tracking. Cambridge U.K.-based Internet of Things software company RedBite (a spinoff of the Auto ID Labs) has developed a low-cost solution known as itemit, consisting of iOS- and Android-based apps and an enterprise Web portal. The itemit app has been available for the past six months for use with QR codes. This month, RedBite launched its RFID version for iOS devices, and the technology is expected to be available for Android devices as well by next month.

OTP Bank enters Hungary NFC payment market

Hungary-headquartered OTP Bank launched contactless NFC payments on its Android mobile wallet application in the country, stepping up competition to the country’s operator-led mobile financial services sector. The Budapest Business Journal reported the upgrade to the retail bank’s Simple Android app to incorporate NFC point of sale payments, which will run alongside the QR code system currently in place.

RFID technology is boosting sales and customer engagement

Fashion retailer River Island is attaching radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags to every item of clothing it stocks. The tags enable a store’s staff to identify all items of clothing on the shop’s shelves and racks, and in stockrooms and fitting rooms, using a remote RFID reader. Just switch on the reader and it sends out radio waves which identify a unique code embedded in every tag. In just a few minutes, store managers can conduct a stock check and identify every item of stock in-store, a process that done manually takes many hours. The stores used to carry out a stock take just once or twice a year. Now they do it every week.

New App Makes RFID Deployments Low-Cost

Although the cost of tags, readers and software has been dropping in recent years, RFID deployments are still unaffordable for many companies seeking item-level inventory tracking. Cambridge U.K.-based Internet of Things software company RedBite (a spinoff of the Auto ID Labs) has developed a low-cost solution known as itemit, consisting of iOS- and Android-based apps and an enterprise Web portal. "Until now, RFID has still been a very exclusive technology," says Alex C.Y. Wong, RedBite's CEO, with software installations that are too cost-prohibitive for many companies.

RFID for Retail: Know the Pros and Cons

RFID is among the hottest trends in the retail industry, assuming you have the right plan for implementation. "RFID can be most beneficial when it comes to enhanced inventory control and loss prevention, where RFID can help give you much greater visibility into and more granular control over your inventory," said Emily Mitchell, COO of password-cracking firm Sagitta HPC, which specializes in breaking authentication and encryption technologies. "Traditional barcodes can only identify products on a basic level, and all products of the same type have identical barcodes."

New mobile payment option for PNC Bank’s Visa commercial cardholders

PNC Bank, N.A., announced a new mobile payment option enabling Visa commercial cardholders to use a smartphone or mobile device to make corporate purchases via Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay. PNC is one of the first U.S. banks to enable mobile wallet payments for commercial cards that may be used to make travel-related and in-store purchases.

In addition to convenience, PNC's mobile payment option includes multiple security features:
•Commercial card numbers are not stored on the mobile device; a unique "virtual" account number is created by the app for each transaction (Visa Token Service).
•Account numbers are never shared with the merchant.
•Cardholders are authenticated through a two-step identification and verification process when adding their commercial card. 
•Transactions monitored by the same PNC security & privacy that protects a physical PNC commercial card.

PNC Bank, National Association, is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:  PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management.

RFID Professional Institute Teams With New Zealand Pathfinder Group to Offer Certification Exams

The RFID Professional Institute, a global not-for-profit organization founded by a group of independent RFID industry veterans to promote professionalism in the RFID industry through the development of standardized certification exams, has announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the New Zealand RFID Pathfinder Group. Pathfinder, a not-for-profit incorporated society, was founded in 2006 by a group of independent RFID specialists to drive the adoption of RFID technologies in New Zealand.

Kochi Metro: RFID ticketing gets a thumps up

For many who had travelled in Metros in big cities like Delhi, the travel in Kochi Metro was more enjoyable. The use of less expensive disposable paper tickets with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) in place of tokens as in Delhi Metro got a thumps up from commuters. “The paper tickets are much easier to carry and the chance of them getting lost during journey is minimal. In Delhi Metro we’ve to drop the tokens in the ticket machine at the destination station. During peak hours, it’s time consuming,” said Adarsh Kumar, an engineer who had worked in Delhi.

TransLink testing RFID fare gates for people with disabilities

(Foto: Steve Morgan)

Whenever he needs to go somewhere on transit, Terry LeBlanc avoids taking SkyTrain, even if it makes his trip significantly longer. Since TransLink started using fare gates last year, LeBlanc, who because of a spinal cord injury is physically unable to use a fare card to tap in and out, has been forced to call an attendant for help every time he wants to ride the SkyTrain system. Initially, the plan was to install special gates for people who could not tap in. Instead, TransLink decided to install Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology in the existing accessible fare gates.

LG Pay goes live in Korea

LG has announced the launch of its LG Pay mobile payments service in Korea, allowing consumers with the LG G6 smartphone to make mobile payments using the service’s Wireless Magnetic Communication (WMC) technology. LG Pay will be available for cards issued by Shinhan Bank, KB Kookmin Card, BC Card and Lotte Card at launch and will be expanded to “all card companies in Korea by September,” LG says. “Users of LG G6 already equipped with the LG Pay hardware can use LG Pay right through the sequential software update,” the company says. “LG Pay can register up to 10 credit cards and check cards that you use frequently.

Key Factors That Will Make Or Break RFID Retail Deployments

One of the challenges of successful RFID deployments is that this is a cross-functional technology and solution. RFID improves current processes as well as enables new business processes. At the very minimum, RFID solutions involve operations, supply chain, IT and finance. However, while executive involvement upfront is crucial to decision making, it’s the users that make or break RFID projects. That’s because no matter how much deliberation there is in the conference room, if RFID doesn’t make users’ lives better, they won’t adopt the new solution and process, thus putting the project at risk of failure.

Bluebird Expands Distribution Agreement with ScanSource POS and Barcode

Bluebird Inc., a manufacturer of Bluebird handheld computers, rugged tablets and mobile payment devices, today announced an expansion to its distribution partnership with ScanSource POS and Barcode, a leading global provider of automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) and point-of-sale (POS) solutions, and a business unit of ScanSource, Inc. With this expansion, Bluebird will now offer its solutions through ScanSource POS and Barcode in Europe.

The expanded relationship strengthens Bluebird’s network in Europe, and now enables ScanSource’s European resellers to have access to Bluebird’s innovative product line, including enterprise mobile computing products, RFID and Mobile POS solutions. Resellers can deliver these products to their end users in most any vertical market, including retail, hospitality, transportation and logistics as well as public sector, backed by ScanSource's industry-leading logistics, technical support, marketing services and enablement tools.

Siemens Solution Partner Patti Engineering to Present Seminar “Siemens RF600: A Case Study”

Patti Engineering, Inc., a control system integration company based in Auburn Hills, MI with offices in Texas and Indiana, announced details of a seminar the company will present at the Siemens Automation Summit in Boca Raton, Florida. The seminar titled “Siemens RF600: A Case Study,” will be co-presented with Caterpillar Inc. and will feature a recent project.

The Siemens Automation Summit will take place June 26-29 at the Boca Raton Resort and Club, Waldorf Astoria Resort in Boca Raton, Florida. The summit is a user conference featuring presentations by and for manufacturing professionals who use Siemens automation technologies.

Patti Engineering’s Ian Mogab will team up with Jerod Bond of Caterpillar Inc. to discuss details of an application of the UHF RFID technology in Caterpillar’s plant, including how the technology works, why it was chosen, and benefits realized. The seminar will detail the implementation of the Siemens RF600 system at Caterpillar, Inc. in a powertrain manufacturing and testing environment and how they navigated the challenges associated with it. It will discuss the design process, how the built in RF600 configuration tools were utilized, and how the team overcame some of the unique challenges that a manufacturing environment presents when using a UHF system. The seminar will be presented Wednesday, June 28, 2017 at 3:00 pm in Royal Palm 2.

Crédit Agricole adds HCE mobile payments in France through Dejamobile

Customers of French bank Crédit Agricole can now make host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payments using a new version of the bank’s mobile app ‘Ma Carte’ and Paylib, an online payment acceptance brand supported by France’s main banks. DejamobileThe service “allows, among other things, the Crédit Agricole customers to pay in-store via the NFC function of their Android smartphone,” says technology provider and mobile payments specialist Dejamobile. “They just need to put their smartphone on the point of sale terminal to pay for purchases.

Using RFID for Omnichannel Fulfillment Success

Supply chains need to be more resilient than ever to weather the constant storms of change. RFID is one of the key enabling technologies that supply chain professionals can use to mitigate risk and enable rewards. Many conversations with supply chain leaders have convinced me that regardless of how efficient logistics have become, there is still much room for improvement given new retail challenges and opportunities. Supply chains have changed dramatically in the past few years to create new efficiencies, which in turn have reduced the margin for error. There has also been a sea change in consumer expectations, largely driven by Amazon. Specifically, omnichannel retailing has essentially broken the traditional supply chain into a direct line between vendor and consumer.

An Estonian firm's internet-connected racks are generating interest around the world

In 2013, a team of Estonian students and young entrepreneurs took part in the country's largest entrepreneurship-competition, called Brainhunt, with an idea to build a smart commercial rack for safe bicycle parking. They reached the final and were voted the public's favorite. Soon, an initial test station was set up in the capital, Tallinn. The intelligence in Bikeep consists of the way the racks can be unlocked with a mobile app, phone call or an RFID access card to make it easier for businesses and municipalities to restrict the use of the bike racks to certain individuals.

QR codes to check fake medical certificates

Faking illness to get leave from office is going to get a lot more difficult. The Indian government is planning to introduce provisions such as using a QR code for verification of medical and fitness certificates. AIIMS is the first institution in government sector where this has been started already on a pilot basis. "Under the new system, all medical and fitness certificates will have a QR code. The recipient can scan it to reach the AIIMS website and verify whether the certificate is authentic or not," Dr Deepak Agrawal, who heads the IT division of the institute, said.

RFID tag maker Impinj soars on Wall Street as Amazon’s $13.7B deal to buy Whole Foods opens new opportunities

Amazon’s deal to acquire Whole Foods for $13.7 billion is sending far-reaching ripples across Wall Street, well beyond the grocery industry, affecting other Seattle tech companies. Impinj, a Seattle-based maker of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that connect items to the internet, has seen its stock rise on news of the deal. Why does a huge Amazon retail deal have an impact on Impinj? It starts with a connection between the two companies. Amazon is a member of RAIN RFID, an alliance co-founded by Impinj in 2014 to spread awareness of RFID technology, which can be used to better keep track of inventory in retail environments.

Why QR codes are important to iOS 11 and China

Why on earth would you want to use your iPhone’s camera to scan a two-dimensional block-and-dot code? How could this possibly have a benefit worth the trouble? Why would Apple have any interest in building this in as an automatic feature within its Camera app? Ask folks in China—and Japan, where advertisers, handset makers, and cell carriers pioneered 2D codes over 15 years ago. Apple says its listening to the Chinese market in adding 2D code scanning, but the benefits will be there for users worldwide.

Amazon’s Dash Wand barcode scanner returns with Alexa

Now that Amazon’s all bullish about hardware, thanks to the Echo’s stratospheric success, the company’s bringing back the Dash Wand with Alexa built-in. It’s a nice bit of synergy. All of the barcode scanning and Amazon Fresh purchasing is still there, and now Alexa can do her thing as well, ordering items with voice, pulling up recipes, finding out the nutritional content of an item. You know, Alexa being Alexa. At the moment, the item is available for Prime Members only. And it’s essentially free (for a limited time), priced at $20 and shipping with a $20 rebate off your first Amazon purchase after registering the thing.

QR Code is Killing Cash

Consumers in Singapore are rapidly embracing Quick Response Code as an alternative to using local tender and cash based merchants are getting on board too. In less than a month, Singapore's DBS Bank has reached out to some 3,000 cash-based merchants, of which some 400 have been fully onboarded, with more in the process of enablement, with its «Smart Nation Ambassador Programme» (SNAP). They include traditional and mature small merchants

iOS 11 lets you scan a router’s QR code to quickly join a network

Apple has added yet another new feature to make configuring wireless networks on iOS even easier. As first noticed by u/EzDzO on Reddit, iOS 11 users will be able to use the native camera app to scan a router’s QR code and quickly get connected. It’s a small but welcome addition to iOS and shows just how powerful adding in “little” features can be. If your friends would prefer not having to crawl on the ground to scan a QR code to connect to your internet, iOS 11 also allows you to automatically send passwords to nearby devices.

Satellites are critical for IoT sector

According to research firm Gartner, more than 20 billion connected things will be in use worldwide by 2020. From connected vehicles to connected homes, the Internet of Things (IoT) promises a host of benefits for industry and consumers. But what communications technology is prepared to handle 20 billion connections — with some emanating from planes over oceans, a pipeline across desolate tundra or an oil platform in the North Sea? This is why satellite operators are investing and collaborating to develop services and hardware that can enable IoT. At the same time, operators are making sure satellite-based solutions can be easily integrated into hybrid networks that combine fiber, wireless networks and satellite to best serve the IoT sector and customers at all levels.

IoT to Represent More Than Half of Connected Device Landscape by 2021

The total number of devices connected to IP networks is projected to be three times the global population by 2021. Internet of things (IoT) technologies specifically are expected to represent more than half of the total 27.1 billion devices and connections. That analysis comes from Cisco’s recent Visual Networking Index for the 2016-2021 forecast period. Wireless and mobile devices will make up 63 percent of total IP traffic by 2021 — up from 51 percent in 2016.

Here's how to flesh out your Alolan Pokédex

Pokémon Sun and Moon QR codes allow you to scan codes of (practically) every Alolan Pokémon and add them to your regional Alolan Pokédex. Not only is it a useful way of cataloguing creatures so you can later locate them in the wild, the system also allows you to catch an additional 28 non-Alolan Pokémon that you can't get anywhere else - until Pokémon Bank support from previous generations is introduced, that is. To scan a QR code, open the menu, head to the second page and select the 'QR Scanner' option. The camera will activate, and place the desired QR code in front of it and snap.

Cardtek and NXP provide technology for UAE mobile wallet

Cardtek, global payment technologies provider, announced that it is collaborating with NXP Semiconductors to deliver the first nationally sanctioned mobile wallet solution for the United Arab Emirates. Emcredit, a fully owned subsidiary of the Dubai Economy, will launch empay, a secure mobile payment platform that offers all United Arab Emirates residents the ability to easily pay for a wide variety of goods and services using smart wearable technology or multifunctional devices.

Cardtek will provide the payment infrastructure, mobile industry knowledge, operational services and product enhancements to support the empay platform. NXP will manufacture and provide the NFC controller and secure element (SE) necessary to allow UAE consumers to utilize the service on wearable devices.

As a part of the Dubai Government Smart initiative, empay will bring together a number of service providers - including banks, government departments, retailers, educational institutions, and transportation companies - into a common platform where consumers are easily able to access and pay for services from a single mobile wallet. empay will ultimately enable UAE consumers to make retail payments, initiate money transfers, and pay for government utilities - like telecommunication and school fees - all from a single mobile wallet using either an “active” wearable or another multifunctional mobile device.

Here Come Smartphone Barcodes

The British bank’s Barclaycard division is testing out a Grab+Go app that will eliminate the need to wait in long lines at the store by turning the user’s smartphone camera into a barcode reader. This pocket checkout works by having the shopper scan each item being purchased and then checking out via the smartphone app.  Barclaycard believes the app will “work best in independent shops and smaller convenient stores – the kind of places customers dive in to for just a few items.”

Fiji Airways Looks To RFID

(Photo Laurent ERRERA)

Fiji Airways has completed installation of over 4,000 ultrahigh-frequency radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags throughout its entire fleet of 15 aircraft. Fiji is integrating RFID to improve in-cabin inspections for onboard emergency equipment such as life vests, life rafts, oxygen bottles, fire extinguishers, extension seat belts, earmuffs, flashlights, survival kits as well as oxygen generators in A330s, 737s, ATRs and Twin Otters.

Plastic 12-bit RFID tag and read-out system with screen-printed antenna

Quad Industries, Agfa, imec and TNO announced tthat they have demonstrated a plastic 12-bit RFID tag and read-out system with screen-printed circuitry. The system integrates, for the first time, a screen-printed antenna and printed touch-based user interface, allowing implementation of the reader on curved surfaces. The demonstrator has been designed for badge security applications, but holds promises for many other applications, including smart packages, wearables and interactive games.

IoT connected devices is expected to experience a 23 percent growth rate over the next five years

In a recent mobile technology report from Ericsson, researchers are predicting that between now and 2021, IoT is expected to increase at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23 percent, making up close to 16 billion of the total forecast 28 billion connected devices in 2021. Energy drink brand Red Bull recently teamed with AT&T to globally connect up to 1 million of the company’s beverage coolers though the telecommunication firm’s IoT (Internet of Things) solution. The rollout allows Red Bull to track and manage “the supply and demand of the coolers to make sure that the beverages are cold and ready for shoppers, and help provide efficiency for workers who no longer have to check the status of the units manually,” AT&T said.

MTS adds NFC mobile payments

Customers of Russian mobile network operator MTS can now make NFC-based mobile payments and access loyalty points and exclusive offers using an updated version of the carrier’s MTS Money Wallet, which made its debut in February 2017. The service is now available to non-MTS subscribers and with a “broader range of merchants”. “From originally offering limited payment and money transfer functionality, MTS Money Wallet has significantly expanded its service offering to become a fully integrated financial platform,” MTS says. “Users can make payments from their e-wallet account, mobile account balances, a bank card issued by any Russian banks and now users can issue a prepaid NFC bank card inside the app.

Apple will likely expand NFC features beyond Apple Pay with iOS 11

Apple this week took the wraps off iOS 11 and detailed a healthy chunk of new features set to arrive for iPad and iPhone owners some time this fall. One aspect of the new mobile OS that wasn’t talked about during the keynote was a new “Core NFC” framework that could expand near-field communication features for Apple devices beyond just its mobile payments support. The change in how iOS makes use of NFC is detailed in a documentation webpage for the beta version of iOS 11, and it was reported by Engadget earlier today. (Apple did announce on stage yesterday that its upcoming watchOS 4 release would let the Apple Watch communicate with supported gym equipment using NFC.)

What Ever Happened to Apple iBeacons?

In 2013, Apple unveiled a technology that had the potential to revolutionize brick-and-mortar retail: iBeacon. The protocol was built on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and promised to enable micro-location tracking in a way that offered far more accuracy than traditional GPS or the assisted GPS in modern smartphones. However, Apple hasn't really done much over the years to promote the protocol in a meaningful way. In fact, it never really did.

Can Iot Devices Be Hacked?

We’ve entered a new stage of technological evolution. Essentially, everything that surrounds us is now connected to the web. The term that we use to describe this ecosystem? IoT, the internet of things. It has attracted some of the biggest names, including Apple and Samsung. If the pundits are right, then soon everything, from microwaves, toasters, and even light bulbs will have internet functionalities. There are a lot of exciting possibilities, but with these possibilities comes the challenge. The biggest challenge, of course, is the security. Any device which is Internet enabled is vulnerable to an attack from hackers. So, can you even imagine the risk we face if every appliance and object that we use is connected to the Internet?

Interbike to offer seminar on RFID technology in partnership wth sister show

Interbike is working with its sister trade show, RFID Journal LIVE!, to offer the bike industry a seminar on RFID technology at this year's show.

The event will introduce retailers to the basics of the technology and how it can be applied to their businesses. It will be led by RFID Journal LIVE! editor and founder Mark Roberti and will take place on Thursday, Sept. 21 from 8-9 a.m.
Interbike is working with its sister trade show,

Interbike also announced that the full 2017 NBDA Super Seminar Series + content has been set, with sessions running from Tuesday, Sept. 19 through Thursday, Sept. 21 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

The NBDA series was designed to address the specific needs of the independent bicycle retailer in today's business climate. The seminars are available at no charge to all levels of shop staff.

IoT Security Solution Protects Against Connected Threats

Resilient Network Systems, the contextual access control company, announced a strategic partnership with RunSafe Security to offer a unique IoT security solution—Resilient IoT Guardian—for both new and existing IoT deployments. With a projected $19 trillion economic transformation around IoT connected devices as deployments increase and adoption continues at record pace, so, too are new attack vectors. The 'out-of-the-box' security measures for most devices are too weak and finding skilled IoT security experts is an ongoing challenge.

Print and Document Integrity Solutions Company Brings Flexible RFID to Customers

For the past two decades, imaging and scanning solutions company Lake Image Systems has been providing the technology that printing, labeling and mailing companies use in high-volume production. More recently, it has been offering RFID technology as well, so that businesses can build passive RFID tags into their mass-produced packaging or labels at high speed. This year, Lake Image partnered with Feig Electronics to make the deployment of RFID easier for its customers. Lake Image offers Feig readers and antennas with its own high-speed RFID encoding system that can be built into its customers' label-converter and printing equipment.

New uses for RFID and security for the internet of things

On the 25th anniversary of the universal barcode in 1999, the barcode community gathered around Sanjay Sarma and his colleagues and said, "Let's do this." "Our idea," says Sarma, vice president for open learning and the Fred Fort Flowers (1941) and Daniel Fort Flowers (1941) Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT, "was to track everything in the supply chain." Sarma, along with research scientist David Brock of MIT and Kevin Ashton, a visiting researcher from Proctor and Gamble, came up with a low-cost radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

Airbitz partners with OpenLedger for barcode log in

OpenLedger ApS announced they have now partnered with Airbitz, a blockchain technology, and security platform to allow users to log into the OpenLedger decentralized blockchain exchange with the scan of a barcode. Using Airbitz, private keys are instantly created, encrypted, and backed up, meaning that for OpenLedger users, there are no words to write down, no files to save, and no data to encrypt. It all happens automatically.

Since its release, Airbitz developers have been able to use this open-source Edge Security SDK for their decentralized applications. Airbitz now powers the leading decentralized applications in the blockchain space including Augur, Wings, Lunyr, Sphre, and now OpenLedger.

Hangzhou buses first to all use mobile pay

By year's end, mobile payment will be accepted on all public buses in Hangzhou, making the city the first in China to do so on all its buses and consolidating its reputation as a mobile application pioneer. Hangzhou Public Transportation Group, the city's main public transportation service provider, announced on Tuesday that it will have mobile payment terminals in its 5,000 downtown buses by the end of June and in the remaining 3,000 buses in outlying districts by the end of December. "Mobile payment is accepted and used by Hangzhou's residents in their daily life in areas like shopping, eating, taking a taxi－all except for taking a bus," said Weng Jun, deputy general manager of the group.

Water Board to test RFID meters in three areas

The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) has decided to install 'automated water meters' on a pilot basis in three areas in the city. These meters, which work with radio frequency technology, will help the board collect meter readings online. Currently, the meters are operated manually, with an official visiting the households and issuing bills based on the noted readings. The Water Board has selected three areas in three Operation and Maintenance (O&M) divisions — Chintal Basthi in Red Hills (O&M IV), SR Nagar in Banjara Hills (O&M VI) and Gachibowli division in O&M XV.

The rise of the QR code and how it has forever changed China’s social habits

On one of the hottest May days on record, Wang Jiarui walked out of school to see his grandfather, who had come to pick him up, standing in a sweat-soaked shirt. The seven-year-old Beijing primary school pupil pointed at a nearby convenience store, proposing that his grandfather cool off with an ice-cold Coke. But the old man had forgotten his wallet. No matter. Jiarui then took his grandfather’s smartphone and summoned to the screen a payment app with a QR code. Thanks to QR code’s rapidly increasing usage at off-line shops, the amount of mobile payments on the mainland is now 50 times greater than that of the US.

Android users no longer need an OV Chipkaart to travel

From Monday, May 22, 2017, public transport passengers in the Netherlands can check in with their smartphones provided they are Android users. If you have an Android smartphone, you can now use it instead of your OV Chipkaart on public transport. OV-Chip Mobiel is a collaboration between public transport smartcard manufacturer Translink and telecommunication companies including Vodaphone, KPN, Telfort, Simyo and Yes Telecom.