New possibilities for cashless payments in the CR
Cashless payments are currently the most widespread way of paying everywhere in the world, including the Czech Republic. The continuously extending forms of electronic banking enable making payments from anywhere at anytime. The latest innovation, not only in the Czech Republic, is the so-called contactless payment that speeds up the paying process and is more user-friendly and comfortable.
Contactless payments are usually carried out by means of contactless payment cards, specially adjusted mobile phones and other devices that have an integrated antenna for communication with a contactless sensor.
Contactless payment cards
It has been possible to use contactless payment cards in the Czech Republic from September 2011. They serve for paying goods and services by means of a contactless terminal. MasterCard PayPass and Visa payWave cards are now accepted in the Czech Republic and you may use them for payments of up to CZK 500 at places with an installed contactless terminal. When making bigger payments, your obligation to authorise the payment by entering the PIN code or by signature still remains. In reality, this means that the owner of the card draws the card near to the terminal and the given sum of money is extracted from the account. The payment card is equipped with a magnetic strip and a special chip that sends out and receives data.
Paying via mobile phone
Another novelty in contactless payments is the possibility to pay at cash desks by the means of a mobile phone or a different device supporting
NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. Three Globus hypermarkets in Prague, and one in Pilsen, have collaborated in the piloting phase of the technology since July 2011. The Citibank and Komerční banka banks, and the O2 telecommunication company, are also participating in the pilot programme. The programme’s full-scale implementation is planned for the beginning of 2012.