August 24, 2006
RFID More Widespread Than You Think?
Seventeen million plus contactless payment cards have been issued in the US since last year by MasterCard, Visa and American Express. Word is, things are going well, and new payment devices might include watches and cell phones. Mastercard has issued around 10 million of their PayPass cards, Visa has issued about five million of their card, and American Express the rest. Visa's strategy has been to focus on the top-20 metro areas in the US. Contactless News (Aug 23/06) has a detailed breakdown. (paid subscription necessary after 60 days).
(In related news, MasterCard awarded Gemalto their best vendor partner award for Gemalto's contactless card, which is used for MasterCard's PayPass system. The card is EMV (Europay MasterCard Visa) compliant, and Gemalto also distributes their card to a couple of banks in Taiwan.)
When you factor in devices such as RFID-enabled key fobs - used for contactless payment at some gas station chains and even some sports stadiums - and the RFID used in several million cars (key and ignition), then RFID use is more geographically widespread in North America than we might think.
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