I-Free Innovations, which introduced a mobile wallet app in Russia this spring, has added functionality that allows users to load a contactless transport card. The new feature will let public transit customers in 13 regions pay fares by touching their mobile phone to a validator device. The app also lets users acquire, store and manage discount coupons.

The i-Free "Wallet" app, which uses NFC technology and QR codes, is built into eight HTC and Philips smartphone models officially available in Russia. The company expects that number to grow soon as it announces support from additional major mobile phone vendors.

The app uses i-Free's TSM platform, which the company said has been certified by MasterCard; that certificate authorizes the remote issuance of MasterCard PayPass payment cards to mobile phones anywhere in the world.

Clients of Tinkoff Credit Systems, or TCS Bank, were the first to try the i-Free Wallet with bank cards loaded onto smartphones earlier this year, the company said. MasterCard, i-Free and TCS are now offering the first 100,000 users a gift of 150 rubles (about $5) each, as an incentive for early adopters of the Mobile PayPass card technology,

For the NFC portion of the project, i-Free is partnering with transit solution integrators Udobny Marshrut and Shtrikh M. The coupon service has been implemented in partnership with KupiKupon, one of the country's largest online discount coupon services.

"Developing the underlying technology platform, and the 'Wallet' app that's based on it, we are striving to make the everyday usage of NFC smartphones not only useful and convenient, but fun, as well," Kirill Gorynya, i-Free Innovations CEO, said in a news release. "We are positive that users will soon appreciate the new level of convenience that the 'Wallet' brings. They won't need to carry multiple cards, wait in line to buy a ticket or hoard a pile of paper coupons. All of it is now available in your smartphone."

Learn more about mobile/digital wallets.