Issuing: Discover deploys contactless cards
- The American domestic card scheme Discover issues NFC “Zip” technology. In December, Cardholders taking part in the tests started receiving NFC cards or stickers likely to be adapted to any personal device. This technology will be generalised in January. 100,000 merchants dispose of Zip compatible equipment.
- Discover trusts its cardholders' interest in contactless technologies if the solutions are implemented on one or two media used on a daily basis.
- The American debit card scheme's commitment will certainly contribute to develop the adoption of NFC technologies in the United States. In fact, this initiative is not limited to some individual banks, but results from a federate action started by a national payment scheme (aiming to become international).
- The selected approach, through pilot tests on several kinds of media, should help improving customers' appropriation of this technology. Other innovating players also decided to use this method in payment-related fields (see Barclays's initiative for instance).