France has become the first eurozone country in which consumers with iOS devices can use Wirecard’s Boon service to make purchases with Apple Pay, by adding a virtual Boon card to the mobile payment service. It is the first fully digitized mobile payment solution with Apple Pay available in France, independent from any bank or telecom operator, based on a digital prepaid MasterCard.
After the initial launch to the UK market in May last year, France is the first market within the euro area where people can use boon with Apple Pay.
„boon is based on an automatic app-to-wallet integration via a prepaid account with a digital MasterCard, issued by Wirecard Card Solutions. This allows users to top-up their account via wire transfer, debit or credit card. The mobile payment app works at any NFC-enabled terminal everywhere the MasterCard contactless logo appears.”, according to the press release.
„When you use a credit or debit card with Apple Pay, the actual card numbers are not stored on the device, nor on Apple servers. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted and securely stored in the Secure Element on your device. Each transaction is authorised with a one-time unique dynamic security code.”, says the release.
“By launching boon with Apple Pay in France, even more users in Europe can experience a new level of mobile payments without being a customer of a specific bank. Thanks to its ease of use and maximum security standards, boon is a state-of-the-art payment solution”, said Georg von Waldenfels, Executive Vice President Consumer Solutions with Wirecard.
Apple Pay is easy to set up and users will continue to receive all of the rewards and benefits offered by credit and debit cards. In stores, Apple Pay works with iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and later, iPhone SE and Apple Watch. Users who want to pay with the mobile app boon outside of France, can upgrade to the level “boon. PLUS” which does not include any additional costs.
Boon launched in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Belgium in December 2015. It expanded to Spain and Ireland in the same month, and launched in the UK with Apple Pay support in March 2016. Apple Pay launched in France in July 2016.
Banking 4.0 – „how was the experience for you”
„So many people are coming here to Bucharest, people that I see and interact on linkedin and now I get the change to meet them in person. It was like being to the Football World Cup but this was the World Cup on linkedin in payments and open banking.”
Many more interesting quotes in the video below:
