Turkey rolls out contactless payments

Burger King and Starbucks will be the first retailers to accept contactless payments in Turkey as 25,000 people receive 'Tap & Go' cards.

Garanti Bank in Turkey is using MasterCard's PayPass technology in cards it began distributing yesterday.

CineBonus, Turkey's largest cinema chain, has also signed up to the scheme.

People use the technology to buy things worth the equivalent of less than US$25 by placing the card over a card reader. It eliminates the need to sign for goods, enter a PIN or use cash.

MasterCard recently dismissed criticism that its RFID-based PayPass may be susceptible to skimming and interference, during retailer trials of the technology.

Around 35,000 Commonwealth Bank customers in Australia are currently trialling the cards with retail outlets such as 7-Eleven.

The speed of PayPass transactions has seen it already widely used in Asia and the US, with seven million cards and devices deployed.

Visa is to trial contactless debit cards in London this autumn that will allow shoppers to pay for low-value goods by simply touching their card against an electronic reader.