Rogers Communications Inc. announced it will offer a mobile wallet branded “suretap” that allows customers with NFC-enabled smartphones to access a virtual prepaid MasterCard and other gift cards to complete transactions at the cash register.
Rogers says it is entering into a multi-year agreement with MasterCard Canada with the goal of driving adoption of mobile payments across Canada. That will allow its customers to load cash onto a prepaid MasterCard account branded under Rogers and accessible via their smartphone. A downloadable suretap app will allow customers to reload their prepaid cards, check account balance, sending gift cards, view recent transactions, and find contactless payment terminals nearby.
Rogers says additional cards from multiple banks and loyalty programs will be available in the near future. Card information is stored on a smartphone’s SIM card and protected by a passcode.
Rogers previously partnered with CIBC with its CIBC Mobile Payment App to allow its customers to use a NFC-enabled smartphone to complete a transaction up to $50 using a stored CIBC MasterCard account. The transactions work at any terminal that accepts contactless transactions such as Visa payWave and MasterCard PayPass. A suretap transaction over $50 can be completed with a signature.
Rogers says Canadians are warming up to the idea of completing transactions with a smartphone. It commissioned research from Harris Decima that shows that one-third of Canadian smartphone owners have made a mobile payment in the past year. Half of NFC-enabled smartphone users have made a mobile payment in the past year.
The suretap wallet app will be available for download on Android and BlackBerry devices in the coming weeks, Rogers says. Apple’s iPhone doesn’t have NFC technology.
Compatible devices include:
- BlackBerry Z10
- BlackBerry Q10
- BlackBerry Bold 9900
- Samsung Galaxy S IV
- Samsung Galaxy S III
- HTC One
- Sony Xperia ZL
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