This past celebration at Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills Christmas Market 2012, urban shopping center operators installed MasterCard PayPass contactless payment terminals at all its vendor booths to speed up transaction times and ease long check-out lines.

Organized by Mori Building Co., Ltd., the Christmas Market offers shoppers from abroad an authentic atmosphere of traditional Christmas markets in Germany. The cultural complex is comprised of 200 shops, restaurants, entertainment and educational facilities, which has attracted more than 40 million people since its opening in 2003.

With PayPass, customers were able to make payments with a simple tap of their card – no signature required – saving them much need time while doing their Christmas shopping. Merchants alike also benefitted with a clean, easy and smart way of processing payments; quicker transactions and faster lines at their stalls during the busy Christmas shopping season.

In addition, MasterCard, for its third consecutive year, collaborated with Roppongi Hills on a Purchase with Purpose program at the Christmas Market to support children in need. For every MasterCard transaction made, Roppongi Hills and MasterCard made a donation to support the children who were orphaned by the Tohoku earthquake in March 2011.