USA Technologies has launched what it believes to be the largest mobile payment and loyalty promotion ever developed for the U.S. vending industry. USAT develops wireless, cashless payment and M2M (machine-to-machine) telemetry technology for vending machines.

More than 62,000 vending machines using USAT's ePort point-of-sale device and ePort Connect cashless payment service have been enabled with Isis SmartTap technology for contactless payments, loyalty and rewards. This means that the locations can now participate in USAT's Fifth Purchase Free promotion, which has been launched to support the nationwide launch of the Isis mobile wallet.

To participate in the Fifth Purchase Free program, consumers with an Isis wallet select a payment card stored in the wallet and tap their smartphone at one of USAT's participating vending machines. After making four contactless purchases using Isis at any participating vending location, the customer will receive a fifth purchase free.

The promotion includes reimbursement of the cost of free vended items to all USAT vending machine clients who have deployed contactless ePort POS technology enabled with Isis SmartTap.

Stephen P. Herbert, USAT's chairman and chief executive officer, said in a news release that the firm expects to increase the number of vending machines using contactless ePort POS technology enabled with Isis SmartTap to 80,000 in the next few months. This figure will include machines located in workplaces, universities and travel and entertainment venues, he said.

Learn more about mobile/digital wallets and loyalty programs.