MasterCard, WestJet to test in-flight contactless payments
26 October, 2011
category: Contactless, NFC, Transit
MasterCard is teaming up with WestJet, a Calgary-based airline, to trial contactless PayPass payments for in-flight purchases, according to PaymentsSource.
Scheduled to begin next month, the pilot will allow passengers on one WestJet route to tap and pay for drinks, snacks, meals or other merchandise using a contactless MasterCard credit or debit card. Eventually, the system will support NFC-enabled mobile purchases as well.
Payments processing for the trial will be handled by GuestLogix, a Toronto-based company that provides debit and credit card processing for most of the world’s major airlines, according to PaymentsSource.
Today, card payments on aircraft are conducted offline without online card authorization, which poses a high risk for fraud. However, GuestLogix is currently working on a way to provide online authorization for in-flight payments, and hopes to roll out a system that can support NFC payments as early as next year.
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