Orange and Barclaycard to launch Quick Tap contactless payments on Android handsets, as well as extend the service to credit and debit card holders from all UK banks

Orange and Barclaycard have announced that the UK’s first contactless mobile payment service, Quick Tap, will shortly be available on select handsets which use the Android operating system, as well as to credit and debit customers of all UK banks. The move is part of the on-going evolution of the Quick Tap payment service and will allow even more consumers to benefit from easy, quick and convenient payments on the high street. 

Orange will be announcing the first Quick Tap compatible payment handset that uses the popular Android operating system in the forthcoming weeks, with a series of further devices from a variety of manufacturers planned for launch throughout the year.

In addition, Barclaycard is introducing a new functionality, which will allow credit or debit card holders from any UK bank to connect to the Quick Tap service. This will be the first time that Quick Tap will be available to those without accounts with Barclaycard, Barclays or the Orange credit card. Customers can transfer up to a limit of £150 simply and securely directly from their account onto the Quick Tap app.

Once loaded with money, the mobile is then ready to make single payments of up to £15 (rising to £20 in June), by simply tapping their phone on a contactless terminal. The user friendly Barclaycard payment app, which sits on the home screen of all Quick Tap compatible handsets, contains information such as electronic statements detailing Quick Tap purchases so customers can keep an eye on their spending and manage finances easily on the go. 

To date, over 100,000  payment  terminals have been enabled with contactless technology and contactless payments are already accepted at Prêt a Manger, EAT., Subway and McDonalds. By the end of 2012 it is predicted there will be over 130,000 places across the UK where people can make contactless payments, including household names such as Tesco, Waitrose, Boots, and Co-Op.

Commenting on the announcement, David Chan, CEO of Barclaycard Consumer Europe, said: “Barclaycard and Orange have led the industry by introducing the first mobile contactless system in the UK, and with today’s announcement we have reached another milestone with Barclaycard giving customers of any bank the opportunity to make quick and easy payments with their phone. We strongly believe that mobile contactless will change the way we pay and that is why we’re opening the technology up so that everyone can choose to join the payments’ revolution.”

He adds: “Now available to all UK customers, and soon to be to be available on a range of the most advanced mobiles in the market, Quick Tap will help consumers monitor what they’re spending, make simple payments and, as a result of the 100% fraud guarantee on all contactless products, ensure that if you lose your phone, you won’t lose your money.”

Jason Rees, Director of Mobile Payments and Ticketing, Orange UK, said: “We’re continually looking for ways to go that extra mile for our customers, and so are really pleased that we will be offering the Quick Tap payments service on the UK’s fastest growing mobile operating system.”

“When combined with the ability to use it with credit or debit cards from all the major UK banks, then even more people will be able to experience the simplicity and convenience of shopping with their mobile.”

Quick Tap has been developed and rigorously tested to ensure customers’ transactions are protected and secure, with users having the option to enter a PIN on their handset before each transaction providing an additional layer of security.   Quick Tap uses a secure SIM-based approach to mobile payments, providing a single point of contact for customer care as well as ensuring enhanced payment security for customers.

Contactless transactions using Quick Tap also benefit from the same 100% fraud guarantee as standard card transactions.

Quick Tap payments are currently available on the Samsung Tocco and Samsung Wave 578. For more information on Quick Tap, please see www.orange.co.uk/quicktap   

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Notes to Editors:

To contact the Barclaycard Press Office please call 01604 251229, or email pressoffice@barclaycard.co.uk

To contact the Orange Press Office please call 0870 373 1500, or email orangepr@golinharris.com

About Barclaycard

Barclaycard, part of Barclays Retail and Business Banking, 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 and Africa.

Key facts published in February 2012;

-          total number of Barclaycard customers: 23.5m

-          number of retailer/merchant relationships: 87,000

About Orange UK

Orange is the key brand of the France Telecom Group, one of the world's leading telecommunications operators. With almost 131 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%. Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Brand Services Limited.

On July 1 2010, the company became part of Everything Everywhere, one company that runs two of Britain's most famous brands - Orange UK and T-Mobile UK - with plans to transform the industry by giving customers instant access to everything, everywhere, offering them the best value, best choice and best network coverage in the country. Everything Everywhere Limited is the UK’s biggest communications company, with a combined customer base of almost 28 million people and more than 720 retail stores across the country. Everything Everywhere Limited is registered at Hatfield Business Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9BW under the registered company number 02382161.

For more information please call the Orange Press Office 0870 373 1500, or visit www.orange.co.uk/newsroom  

About contactless

Contactless payment enables customers to make a purchase of up to £15 – rising to £20 in June –without the need to sign or enter a pin. Barclays and Barclaycard are leading the way in introducing contactless and there are now over 17 million contactless-enabled Barclaycards and Barclays debit cards, helping retailers reduce queuing and cut the cost of card transactions. In line with its history of providing customers with innovative payment forms, Barclaycard launched the first contactless mobile payment service with Orange last year.

Barclays and Barclaycard are the leading providers of contactless terminals in the UK. By the end of 2013, Barclaycard expects there to be over 130,000 outlets at which people can pay using contactless, including in household names like Waitrose, Boots, Tesco’s and, from this summer, Transport for London’s buses and Thames Clipper. 

To find out more about Contactless payment, visit www.barclaycard.co.uk/contactless/ or www.Barclays.co.uk/contactless