Visa Contactless

As technology evolves at an ever-increasing pace, the concept of Visa payment is expanding beyond swiping a card through a point-of-sale reader to a world of new opportunities.  Merchants can now take advantage of increased speed and convenience through Visa Contactless —the latest evolution in Visa payment.  
 
Visa Contactless removes the need to physically swipe or insert a smart card into a payment reader.  By simply holding the Visa Contactless card at a close range of four centimeter from the reader, the card will be detected.  Visa Contactless is a fast and simple way for consumers to make payment.  No signature is required and there is no need to hand the card to the cashier – consumers simply wave, pay and go.

How it works

The Visa Contactless card builds on the existing global EMV smart card standard that is currently being adopted by card issuers and acquirers around the world and in Asia Pacific.  Payments are done via Radio Frequency (RF), much like the ‘tap and go’ cards that are increasingly used in mass transit environments.  There is an antenna – a thin copper wire inside the Visa Contactless card – that transfers payment information quickly and securely through the RF signal to a reader connected to the merchant’s point-of-sale terminal.

The cardholder's account is charged, and the purchase is processed in the same manner as a swiped transaction. All Visa Contactless cards also have the standard magnetic stripe, so they also work with traditional card readers.

		Merchant terminal is enabled with contactless technology.				Consumer holds card in front of reader and terminal light indicates card has been read.

		Transaction is completed like any card payment.

Benefits

Visa Contactless provides merchants and consumers with a number of benefits. 
 
For your consumers

• Requires no signature and no card exchange at the point-of-sale
• Empowers cardholders with greater convenience, choice and flexibility in paying for goods and services
• Functions as a 3-in-1 card: Visa Contactless can be used not only as a contactless card at places where the Visa Contactless logo is displayed, but also as a regular Visa card worldwide.

• Decreased transaction time – Visa Contactless transactions are faster than cash transactions.  Greater speed of handling payment helps to reduce queues and enable staff to attend to other customers more quickly
• Reduction in coin/cash handling
• By taking advantage of industry-wide standard for smart cards, EMV, acts as a powerful tool against counterfeiting and fraud
• Enhances customers’ satisfaction with a modern, fast and convenient way to pay.
• Attracts new customers and builds loyalty with an innovation that adds speed and convenience, leading to greater customer spend
• Delivers competitive advantage to merchants in categories like fast food restaurants where speed and convenience are compelling benefits

Visa's contactless payment program in Malaysia

Visa's contactless payment program in Malaysia is called Visa Wave.  A mobile phone-based contactless payment program called Mobile Visa Wave is currently being piloted in Malaysia in collaboration with Maybank, Maxis and Nokia.  
 
The pilot Maybankard Visa Wave-enabled phone is two products in one.  It operates as a standard mobile phone connected to the Maxis network and can be used to wave and pay wherever a Visa Wave sign is displayed.  Cardholders selected for the pilot will be issued a phone pre-programmed with their regular Maybankard Visa Wave card information.
 
Click here to download a list of Visa Wave merchant locations in Malaysia.
 
 
To identify a Visa Wave card, look for the following indicator:
 
To identify a Visa Wave Mobile phone, look for the following phone type:
 

 
Simply contact your acquirer for details about getting started with Visa Wave.
 

Technical features

Visa Contactless card

• Contains a Visa Smart Debit Credit (VSDC) chip and therefore functions as full Visa credit/debit card.
• Builds on the global EMV smart card standard.
• Uses dynamic data authentication (DDA) cryptographic processors, defined in EMV specifications, to authenticate the card.
• Combi card: single chip with dual contact and contactless interfaces, ISO/IEC14443 (A/B).

• Fully functional Nokia 3220 mobile phone
• NFC capabilities
• Contains a Visa Smart Debit/Credit (VSDC) chip supporting a contactless interface
• Supports a “digital wallet”