Visa has launched the new commercial Visa mobile payments service for point-of-sale transactions using Near Field Communications technology.
Visa has said that the service marks the first time consumers can purchase a Near Field Communications (NFC) -enabled mobile device off the shelf and use that device to make Visa payWave-enabled transactions at the point-of-sale instead of using their payment card.
Maxis — a wireless carrier in Malaysia, Nokia and Maybank have teamed up with Visa to offer Visa payWave on mobile devices.
The service allows Maybank Visa account holders to wave their NFC-enabled Nokia 6212 classic handset in front of a contactless reader to complete a secure Visa transaction in a matter of seconds, Visa has said.
Maybank Visa account holders can download their Visa payWave credit account details directly to their Nokia 6212 classic handset over the Maxis wireless network. Once the account has been personalised on the phone, account holders can then begin to make purchases at any one of the 1,800 merchant outlets that currently accept Visa payWave in Malaysia.
Elizabeth Buse, global head of product at Visa, said: We believe that Visa’s NFC mobile payment launch in Malaysia signals a tipping point for the payments industry globally as we move from mobile payment pilots to commercial availability. The launch of Visa’s first commercial NFC programme in Malaysia is based on Visa’s experience gained from undertaking extensive pilot activities around the globe and is something Visa plans to replicate in other places around the world.
