Mobile payments using NFC to become possible in iPhones

TouchPay iphone mobile payments

TouchPay iphone mobile payments

Though the technology was notably lacking in the latest release, it hasn’t held back RBS and NatWest.

Despite the fact that the iPhone 5 was released without an NFC chip, this omission hasn’t stopped RBS and NatWest from coming up with a way to step around the issue and provide mobile payments based on the technology.

A protective cover with built-in near field communication technology that fits iPhone 5, 4, and 4s is their solution.

The technology is among the most controversial of the omissions from the latest iPhone released by Apple, but these U.K. companies will help the owners of these devices to keep up with the mobile payments capabilities that are already available in a growing number of the devices.

In a mobile payments partnership with Visa Europe, NatWest and RBS have launched the new product.

In order to use this TouchPay service, all iPhone users need to do is attach their device to the protective cover, and it will become NFC enabled. The on-screen instructions are easy to follow in order to download the TouchPay application from the App Store. The activation process is short and direct, and once it has been completed, the device can be used for transactions of up to £20.

At first, this service will be available only on a trial basis, for the first 1,000 people who register. However, RBS and NatWest have stated that it won’t be long before all of their iPhone carrying customers will be able to use the system.

According to the Visa Europe senior vice president and head of mobile, Sandra Alzetta, “A key industry challenge in bringing mobile contactless payments to consumers is finding ways to enable existing smartphones that do not offer NFC technology.” She pointed out that through the mobile payments services such as TouchPay, it is easy to see how accessories for mobile devices that will enable them with NFC will be the future of the digital transactions industry. She also pointed out that it will “help hasten mainstream adoption.”

Analysts have been forecasting for some time that mobile payments through NFC technology will one day become the standard for the industry.

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