Customers of Canadian carrier Rogers can now add a range of merchant gift cards, managed by prepaid card provider Blackhawk Network, to their Suretap NFC mobile wallets. The gift cards are redeemed at merchants using standard barcode readers, and are available for Swiss Chalet, Milestones Grill and Bar, Montana’s Cookhouse, Harvey’s, Kelsey’s, Indigo, Earls Restaurants, Ardene and Spafinder Wellness 365.

“Rogers’ customers using the Suretap wallet can redeem a gift card by simply selecting a gift card in the wallet and having the merchant scan the barcode,” Blackhawk explains. “The Suretap wallet also enables customers to send Blackhawk gift cards to friends and family as well as giving them the ability to add existing plastic gift cards to the wallet application.”

Rogers launched its Suretap wallet in November 2013 and added support for gift cards and an own-brand prepaid MasterCard in April 2014.

“Today, the Rogers Prepaid MasterCard relies on NFC technology to make payments, and in the future other payment cards (credit and debit) will also use NFC technology,” Rogers explained to NFC World. “The gift cards available to our customers from the BlackHawk Network are the only items that don’t use NFC technology in the wallet today.”

“Blackhawk Canada’s research has shown that Canadians are eager for access to egift options, yet few retailers are making them available,” says Blackhawk managing director Steve Dekker. “This is a significant opportunity to connect a new customer base with the digital gift card solutions it wants, which can readily be used for purchases from favourite brands and retailers.”