Orange and Barclaycard deliver next step in their partnership with contactless co-branded credit card

•    This move is the next step in the partnership between Orange and Barclaycard to deliver contactless mobile payments
•    The new card allows customers to keep track of their finances via text alerts and spending controls
•    Contactless card technology enables customers to quickly make purchases of £10 or under wherever the contactless symbol is displayed
•    Customers earn reward points with every purchase they make and can redeem against a fantastic choice of rewards

Orange and Barclaycard today launched a joint contactless credit card which offers customers the option to set their own spending levels and a choice in how they are kept up-to-date with their account.  The Orange Credit Card is the first card to give customers this level of control over their account.  It also provides customers with a great range of rewards, as well as the ability to make even easier and faster purchases of £10 and under using contactless technology.

The launch of the Orange Credit Card with contactless technology, budget manager and spend controls is the latest step in Orange and Barclaycard’s long-term strategic partnership aimed at introducing a broad range of mobile, financial and payment services to evolve the way consumers make payment transactions in the UK.

The new card features Barclaycard’s responsible approach to lending while capitalising on Orange’s experience in mobile and will allow customers to better manage their finances through features such as:

•    Automated SMS alerts to keep a tab on spending
o    Weekly - the balance, limit and credit remaining
o    Monthly - the payment due and payment received

•    Customer-activated SMS alerts
o    Customers can set alerts and blocks on card spend online, abroad or for high value transactions,
o    Customers can set a weekly or monthly budget and set alerts when the budget is reached or chose to automatically decline transactions if they exceed the budget

Customers will earn one Orange Credit Card reward point for every £1 spent, which can be redeemed online or by phone, for vouchers that customers can:

•    Spend at high street shops like Marks & Spencer or HMV
•    Use as discounts on all Orange products and services purchased through Orange shops – from discounts on new phones to mobile accessories
•    Get tickets for trips and special events – such as mountain biking, Glastonbury festival, a dry slope skiing lesson or The MasterCard Trophy – Barbarians vs England at Twickenham
•    Donate to a charity – support good causes, like Guide Dogs, UNICEF or Crisis

Also, by using Barclaycard’s contactless technology, customers only need to hold their card close to a contactless reader to pay for purchases of £10 and under wherever they see the contactless symbol.  Contactless payments offer a quicker and more convenient way to pay and customers enjoy the same fraud protection on contactless payments as they do for any other Barclaycard transactions.

Marc Overton, VP of Wholesale, Business Development and Partnerships, Orange UK: “A key part of our UK strategy is to grow and evolve our business, whilst at the same time provide extra value for our customers. In partnering with Barclaycard, we believe we’re doing just that, and today’s announcement is the next exciting step in the journey to the future world of consumers paying for everyday goods on their mobile phone.”

Chris Wood, Managing Director at Barclaycard said: “We are seeing demand from both retailers and customers for ever more convenient ways to pay and accept payment and believe that mobile and contactless technologies are key to meeting those needs. This announcement shows how, in partnership with Orange, Barclaycard is starting to make mobile contactless payments a step closer for UK consumers.”

To find out more about the Orange credit card please visit www.orangecreditcard.co.uk

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Notes to Editors

The card offers 18.9% APR on purchases; 29.9% APR on cash advances and 0% for 3 months on customers first Orange purchase

About Barclaycard
Barclaycard, part of Barclays Global Retail Banking division, is a leading global payment business which helps consumers, retailers and businesses to make and accept payments flexibly, and to access short-term credit when needed.
The company is one of the pioneers of new forms of payments and is at the forefront of developing viable contactless and mobile payment schemes for today and cutting edge forms of payment for the future.  It also issues credit and charge cards to corporate customers and the UK Government.  Barclaycard partners with a wide range of organisations across the globe to offer their customers or members payment options and credit.
In addition to the UK, Barclaycard operates in the United States, Europe, Africa and the Middle and Far East.
Key facts published in August 2009;
-    number of UK customers: 11.9m
-    number of International customers: 11.8m
-    number of retailer/merchant relationships: 88,000

About Orange
Orange is the key brand of the France Telecom Group, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators. With 126 million customers, the Orange brand now covers Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates.
In the UK, Orange provides high quality GSM coverage to 99% of the UK population, and 3G coverage to more than 93%. At the end of September 2009, Orange had more than 17 million customers in the UK – 16.11 million active mobile customers and approximately 900,000 fixed broadband customers.
At the end of 2008, France Telecom had consolidated sales of 53.5 billion euros (38.1 billion euros for the first nine months of 2009) and at 30 September 2009, the Group had a customer base of almost 190 million customers in 32 countries. These include 128.8 million mobile customers and 13.4 million broadband Internet (ADSL) customers worldwide. Orange is the number three mobile operator and the number two provider of broadband Internet services in Europe and, under the brand Orange Business Services, is one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Personal Communications Services Limited.
For more information please call the Orange Press Office 0870 3731500, or visit www.orange.co.uk/newsroom