Russian mobile wallet adds support for contactless transport cards
13 November, 2013
category: Contactless, NFC, Smart Cards, Transit
i-Free, a developer in mobile and NFC technology, has produced mobile wallet app for use in Russia with new added functionality that enables users to load contactless transport cards, according to mobilepaymentstoday.com.
The i-Free mobile “Wallet” app enables public transit customers in 13 regions pay fares by touching their mobile phone to a validator device. The app also lets users acquire, store and manage discount coupons.
Leveraging NFC technology and QR codes, the app is built into eight HTC and Philips smart phone models officially available in Russia. The company expects that number to grow soon as it announces support from additional major mobile phone vendors.
Clients of Tinkoff Credit Systems, or TCS Bank, were the first to try i-Free Wallet with bank cards loaded onto smart phones earlier this year. i-Free and TCS are offering the first 100,000 users a gift of 150 rubles (about $5) each, as an incentive for early adopters of the Mobile PayPass card technology,
The app uses i-Free’s TSM platform, certified by MasterCard, and authorizes the remote issuance of MasterCard PayPass payment cards to mobile phones anywhere in the world.
