Orange and Visa Europe have launched a commercial NFC-based mobile payment service, Orange Cash, in Strasbourg and Caen. According to Orange, the two cities are France’s highest users of contactless payments.

Orange is the first mobile network operator to offer mobile contactless payments in France, the company says.

The Orange Cash app acts as a Visa prepaid card on the phone. Orange customers who have an NFC-enabled smartphone compatible with Orange Cash need to go into an Orange store to download and activate the app.

The Orange Cash app is based on a prepaid account that customers can top up with any debit or credit card. A passcode chosen by the user will be required for any payment over the contactless transaction limit. Users can view their transactions and check their account balance in real-time.

Orange says that the Orange Cash app allows GPS-based offers to be sent by retailers to customers.

“Orange Cash will be rolled out throughout France in 2014," Delphine Ernotte Cunci, Orange France’s deputy chief executive officer, senior executive vice president, said in a statement.

Orange Cash is designed and managed by Munich, Germany-based Wirecard, a provider of white-label prepaid cards. Wirecard issues its prepaid products though Wirecard Bank, a member of Visa, MasterCard and JCB Europe.

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