British retailer WHSmith announced that it will be introducing contactless payments across 46 of its UK stores by Spring 2012, according to Retail Gazette.

In partnership with Visa Europe and Streamline, initial contactless payments will be deployed at WHSmith stores located at major travel hubs: the Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airport stores in London and shops at Main Line railway stations across the UK.

“The introduction of contactless at these key travel sites is ideal for consumers who often need to complete a purchase quickly prior to catching a train or plane,” said Mark Austin, head of contactless at Visa Europe.

Using Visa payWave contactless terminals, consumers will be able to simply wave their cards to the reader – without having to enter a PIN or offer a signature – to complete in store transactions. Initially, contactless payments will be limited to £15 (~ USD $24) per transaction and will increase to £20 (~USD $32) from June 1st.

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