The “la Caixa” and Visa Europe project aims to make Barcelona the first major European city to use an extensive contactless payment system at shops and ATMs. Furthermore, given that the technology is the same as that used by NFC (Near Field Communications) mobile phones, “la Caixa” will also be ready to process mobile phone payments right across Barcelona.
The “la Caixa” and Visa Europe project will get underway in January, with the roll-out of new POS and the first cards going into circulation. Over the first two months of 2012 the service is set to be available to 50 percent of „la Caixa“ customers in Barcelona, while the issue of contactless cards is due to be completed over the second quarter of 2012. New ATMs, featuring contactless readers, will also start being rolled out in January. The aim is to have at least one contactless ATM at every Barcelona branch before the end of 2012.
Contactless technology is intended to speed up customer payments and transactions. Transactions are made by holding the card next to the contactless reader terminal, whether this be a POS or ATM. The two devices connect by proximity, without the card having to be inserted, and the payment is made instantly.
The contactless system is fully secure and includes EMV technology (the chip currently used in cards). For purchases of over €20 users will be required to enter their card PIN number to validate the operation. For lower value operations, where the contactless system has the most potential, users can complete transactions by simply bringing their card into close proximity with the in-store terminal. Furthermore, „la Caixa“ ensures secure use of contactless cards thanks to its CaixaProtect guarantee; coverage that protects all of the bank’s card customers from any fraudulent use of electronic payment methods.
The “la Caixa” and Visa contactless system in Barcelona will be fully compatible with other cards and contactless payment devices issued by other banks, both domestic and international.
“la Caixa” is the world“s first bank to develop ATMs with built-in contactless readers. These ATMs can identify customer cards without requiring that they be inserted manually. The new contactless ATMs represent a further step forward in the bank’s strategy to improve customer service via innovation. With some 8,000 ATM terminals, “la Caixa” has the largest ATM network in Spain and the second largest in Europe.
ATMs with built-in contactless technology will also be compatible with all other contactless payment supports, such as NFC-ready mobile phones, which were used during the first mobile payment trial in the Spanish city of Sitges. More than 1,500 users and 500 businesses took part in this NFC pilot project, Europe’s largest. The enthusiastic reception that the mobile payments system attracted saw the project’s backers decide to leave the NFC infrastructure in place indefinitely for shops and customers.
