June 5, 2012 – More than 11,500 branches of the Post Office in the UK are to be converted to accept contactless payments. The roll out starts on the 6th June in almost two hundred branches around the various Olympic sites and is expected to be completed by the end of October 2012.
Post Office Limited is leading the way in payment technology with recently announcement that it is to roll out contactless payment terminals across 30,000 counter positions in its unrivalled network of over 11,500 branches. The move makes the Post Office the biggest user of contactless acceptance technology in Europe allowing customers to pay for transactions using contactless cards and Near Field Communication (NFC) equipped mobile phones.
The roll out starts on the 6th June in almost two hundred branches around the various Olympic sites and is expected to be completed by the end of October 2012. It is the largest deployment of contactless technology in Europe and is expected to increase consumer awareness and usage and, through the Post Office network, put this technology within three miles of 99% of the UK population.
Lesley Sewell, Chief Information Officer, Post Office Limited, said: “Contactless will bring huge benefits to our customers by increasing choice and reducing transaction times. Over the next few years, many Post Office branches will be transformed, becoming more customer focused, opening for longer and providing services in a convenient and efficient manner.”
Marion King, President of MasterCard UK & Ireland, said: “MasterCard PayPass is already accepted in 425,000 locations in 37 countries. We’re delighted the Post Office is joining us in our vision of a world beyond cash and offering more people in the UK the opportunity to use this safe, simple and smart way to pay.”
Mark Austin, Head of Contactless at Visa Europe, said: “There are over 21 million contactless Visa cards in the UK today and by the end of the year there will be more than 30 million around the country. Our research tells us that people who experience contactless payment love the convenience and speed that it enables. This announcement marks a major milestone in making that technology even more widely available across the UK.”
About Post Office: Post Office Limited has an unrivalled national network of over 11,500 branches across the UK, more than all the high street banks combined, and sits at the heart of many communities across the country. The Post Office has made a commitment to no more branch closure programmes. It provides around 170 different services and products spanning financial services including savings, insurance, loans, mortgages and credit cards. Post Office also offers Government services; telephony; foreign currency; travel insurance and mail services.
It serves around 20 million customers a week and half of all small businesses. 93% of the total population (and 99% of those living in towns and cities) live within one mile of a post office. For many rural communities the post office is the only retail outlet. Post offices remain highly valued and trusted and are the focal point for many communities.
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:
