Mobile contactless finally in my hand

Just got home from travels and found a leaflet on my doormat.

Usually such leaflets get thrown in the bin, but the strapline “start a whole new movement” in orange intrigued me.

I wonder what this is about I thought, as I’ve never had junkmail from what I assumed was Orange, the mobile phone operator.  Orange had never written to me before.

Turning to the back of the leaflet, the sight of a mobile telephone with “powered by Barclaycard” immediately caught my attention.

 

So I opened the leaflet and yay, this is the launch of Britain’s’ first mobile contactless programme in action (doubleclick image below to see large version).

The leaflet asks me to clink on an Orange webpage for more information ...

 

... and, on the webpage is a video explaining more:

The ordering is simple, and the phone is available for just £59.99 ($100) on a pay-as-you-go contract that’s quite attractive.

Maybe this really is a way for mobile carriers and banks to partner?

Either way, it shows Barclaycard on the leading edge once again.  After all, they appear to be the only card firm that regularly gets coverage on this blog as an innovator:

• Great advert for Barclaycard Contactless
• Barclaycard show some creativity
• Barclaycard contactless strikes again

All in all, the mobile payments revolution is under way and, in the UK, this one leads the way.

 

Comments

[twitter.com/dgwbirch]

I'm at the Payments Association conference today if you want to play with one of the phones I'll bring mine.

[Simon Breese]

Chris,

My wife received the same mailshot yesterday. She was reading it in the living room after dinner and asked me what it was. "Contactless payment" said I "just like the oyster card, but it works with your Barclaycard I think." "What am I meant to do?" said she "d***ed if I know" ... so in the bin it went as the call to action was missing or obscure.

Moral: great idea, nice phone, direct mail failed ... uptake likely to be slow unless they get their marketing act together. Pity.

PS thanks for solving the riddle.

[Waspit]

Thanks for the info Chris. Apparently 6.8m UK mobile phone owners will be using their handsets for direct payment via contact less by 2012.

[Christopher David]

Must be very nice fees you get for advertising this strong!

[Chris Skinner]

Interesting comment Christopher

We get paid nothing and this blog is 100% independent ... I'm just watching who's doing interesting stuff and who is not.

Chris