German company releases cell-phone sticker for contactless MasterCard PayPass payments
Munich, Germany-based Giesecke & Devrient is providing a new form factor for debit cards in Europe.
According to a news release from Giesecke & Devrient, the Convego Air Mobile is a sticker that enables a user to conduct contactless payments with a mobile device. The sticker contains the full functionality of a credit or debit card. Once foil is affixed to a cell phone or PDA, the device can be used to pay bills at all cash terminals and ticket machines supporting the worldwide contactless MasterCard PayPass standard.
"Convego Air Mobile adds an ideal new dimension to credit and debit card services. By affixing the sticker to their cellphone, users can pay small amounts contactlessly, which means they do not have to carry as much cash on them," said Axel Deininger, head of the payments division at G&D. "We expect Convego Air Mobile to speed up the market for contactless payment methods."
The Convego Air Mobile payment sticker measures 1.7 x 1.3 inches and can be affixed to any cell phone, smart phone or PDA. The surface of the sticker provides enough space for customer-specific designs and optical personalization by laser engraving.
The G&D payment sticker is certified for MasterCard PayPass and can be used on all payment terminals which support contactless payment using MasterCard PayPass. Convego Air Mobile is already being used in several pilot projects by various banks in Europe and North America.