Visa payWave to enable iPhone Users to Accept Wireless Payments
iPhone users may soon be able to make contactless credit card payments using their phones, according to a leaked press release that was quickly pulled. The wireless payment capability would be provided by Visa’s payWave service.
Where Visa payWave is supported, cardholders can wave their card in front of a reader, instead of swiping it through a point-of-sale (POS) terminal. According to Visa, “over 32,000 retailers from 20 top brands accept Visa payWave payments.”
To use payWave, iPhone users would have to have it pre-installed on a memory card. As the iPhone does not have an external memory slot of its own, users will be required to get a new iPhone protective case, which is said to be already Apple-certified.
Once they have payWave installed, iPhone users will only have to wave their phones in front of a payWave-enabled reader to make a payment. The mobile payment application can be password protected and will work on both iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G devices.
