Barclaycard and Orange to close pioneering NFC payments service

Quicktap, one of the first apps to let UK customers make low value point-of-sale purchases through their handsets, is being axed.

But this decision is being marketed as a development rather than a setback. It may not spell the end of the two companies’ involvement with mobile NFC services – alternatives already exist, although details on upcoming projects are currently being kept under wraps.

 “Barclaycard offers a variety of other contactless payment solutions, including contactless credit cards and PayTag,” the bank reassures customers in an email, also pointing out that EE — the network operator merging Orange and T-Mobile in the UK — has an NFC enabled mobile payment solution called Cash on Tap “which lets you tap your phone to make contactless payments.”

Last year EE developed Cash on Tap in another collaboration with Mastercard. Cash on Tap users will be able to pay for journeys on London tube, DLR and overground services with their handsets from next month. Cash on Tap will close down on October 30th.

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