SimplePass (tm) .net / RFID Smartcard

Use Your Driver's License as a Debit Card

A startup promises to save both drivers and gas station owners a bundle at the pump by cutting credit cards out of the payment process. A two-year-old company called National Payment Card allows customers to pay for gas by swiping their driver's license and entering a PIN.

Aurora Bisig is a big believer in retailer discount cards. At her last count, she had a dozen—from Sam's Club (WMT) to nearly every grocery store in Central Texas. So this March, when the Austin (Tex.) insurance agent pulled into a gas station for a fill-up and saw a sign promising an additional 10¢ off per gallon for signing up with a new e-payment program, she was interested.

She was also pleased to learn that the "RollbackPrice" program wouldn't require her to add another piece of plastic to her overstuffed wallet. Instead, after entering her driver's license number and bank account information online with a two-year-old company called National Payment Card (NPC), she'd be able to pay for gas just by swiping her driver's license (linked directly, via the existing magnetic stripe, to her bank account), and entering a personal identification number.

» businessweek.com [ Contribute: submit link / submit article / submit company ]

Hypercom Corners New PIN Pad Technology Market

Hypercom Releases the Industry's First Universal Contactless PIN Pad; Touchscreen Device Also Accepts EMV & Mag Stripe Cards, Offers WiFi Option

Global payment technology leader Hypercom Corporation announced the release of its new P4100 PIN Pad, allowing a variety of payment verification methods to vendors including contactless, EMV smart card or magnetic stripe payments, a touchscreen display, and a vendor-agnostic architecture enabling integration with Hypercom, VeriFone or Ingenico card payment terminals as well as leading electronic cash register systems.

The company is also offering a WiFi option for use with wireless and IP-enabled payment terminals. The system meets security standards recently established by Visa International, MasterCard Worldwide and JCB International to ensure secure PIN entry and privacy while offering multi-application capabilities. According to Hypercom Senior VP Neil P. Hudd, "this device provides maximum sales opportunities because of the variety of needs it serves as well as the ability to support both Hypercom and non-Hypercom hardware. No other vendor offers a comparable product, so we have the market to ourselves.”

» SeekingAlpha