Suncorp backs NFC payments, Apple Pay

Suncorp to roll out contactless payments for select Android devices in 2015

Suncorp Bank has revealed it will soon support contactless mobile payments on Apple iOS and Google Android devices.

“We are now looking into rolling our contactless payments in our banking app for selective Android devices in 2015,” a Suncorp spokesperson told Computerworld Australia.

“We'll also be working with relevant parties to enable our cards for Apple Pay when it becomes available in Australia.”

While Suncorp in the past had held off on supporting Near Field Communications (NFC) technology due to a perceived lack of consumer interest, the bank is now seeing increasing demand for a service that lets customers tap their phones on payment terminals to pay.

“Over the past 12 months, consumer demand for NFC mobile technology from our customer base has increased significantly due to improved awareness and device availability,” the Suncorp spokesperson said.

NFC chips have been included in Android-based phones for some time now, but Apple did not include the technology until the iPhone 6. While Apple has added NFC to this most recent line of iPhones, the Cupertino-based company has tied the technology tightly to its new Apple Pay service, which has not yet been released in Australia.

Suncorp is one of the first banks in Australia to confirm support for Apple Pay. Westpac has indicated it will work with Apple to open up iPhone payments to its banking app, while Commonwealth Bank has said it would examine the digital wallet.

Suncorp’s move into NFC follows a trial with peer-to-peer payments using SMS and QR codes.

“We have been experimenting with P2P payments with our SMS/QR Code powered payment solution 'QuickShare' which has enjoyed great success and positive feedback from our customers since it was launched earlier this year,” the spokesperson said.

“This was a trial for us to assess the appetite for payments innovation and it was successfully embraced by our mobile customers.”

Adam Bender covers telco and enterprise tech issues for Computerworld and is the author of dystopian sci-fi novels We, The Watched and Divided We Fall. Follow him on Twitter: @WatchAdam

Follow Computerworld Australia on Twitter: @ComputerworldAU, or take part in the Computerworld conversation on LinkedIn: Computerworld Australia

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Tags financeSuncorpbanksbankingmobile paymentsNFCfinancial institutionsmobile digital walletsdigital walletsApple Paymobile wallets

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