In an effort to prove that it is at the forefront of innovation in the payments game, Visa has announced it will be launching its new NFC sunglasses at the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas this week, which aims to let consumers pay and process transactions using their sunglasses.
Users will be able to pay for their purchases by taking the sunglasses off and taping them on the card processing reader. The sunglasses will be embedded with a tiny chip on the side.
While the glasses aren’t available yet, Visa is currently testing the product to see if it will spark interest from device users and potential investors. The company is reportedly seeking a brand or bank to sponsor the product.
Speaking to CNBC, Chris Curtin, chief brand and innovation marketing officer at Visa said: “It ties back to our tagline of everywhere you want to be.”
“Without it it’s hard for us to fulfil our tagline. Our view is we take form factors that you don’t expect to be payment-enabled like sunglasses or maybe like a ring and expose to the market that maybe it can be.”
Though device payments and wearable technology has increased significanty in the market, it’s unclear if Visa’s new high-tech specs will take the industry by storm.
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