MOBILE HUB: Barclaycard is enhancing its app to allow contactless payments across the UK

Barclaycard is to expand the functionality of its Android mobile app to include NFC mobile payments, allowing customers to make purchases at more than 300,000 locations in the UK as well as across the London transport network from November 2015.

“Customers using this new feature in the app will be able to make contactless payments for transactions up to £30 with just a touch of their device and, for the first time, will be able to make high-value contactless payments of up to £100 by entering their PIN on their mobile device,” Barclaycard says.

“Activating the contactless functionality in the Barclaycard app takes less than a minute and after that, payment can be made without needing to open an app, enter a PIN or verify with a fingerprint. The new feature will be the easiest and quickest way to make contactless payments using a mobile phone in the market.”

The announcement follows the UK launch of Apple Pay in July. Barclays was a notable absence from the list of supporting financial institutions when the mobile payment service went live, but later told NFC World that it does plan to support it “in the future”.

“Barclaycard is still planning to support Apple Pay,” the company told NFC World today. “The mobile payment feature will be based on HCE.”

Simple opt-in process

“These new features transform Android phones into a mobile hub for our customers, allowing them to manage their account on the go, make contactless payments up to £100 and have a lost or stolen card instantly re-issued, letting them continue to make contactless payments straightaway,” says Mike Saunders, managing director of digital consumer payments at Barclaycard.

“This additional functionality is being added to our existing customer app so there’s no need for existing users to download, register, upload or add card details into a new app — you just complete the simple opt-in process and away you go.”

Barclaycard launched its second generation range of bPay devices earlier this year to let customers make payments using either a wristband, keyfob or sticker. It revealed last month that the amount UK consumers are spending using contactless has risen 150% in the last 12 months, with the number of transactions up 134%.