NEWS Fast-food junkies visiting McDonalds drive-thrus will soon no longer have the choice if they want chips with their orders: the burger behemoth is trialling RFID-chipped cards as a means of payment.
The technology will mean that diners desperate for some fast food will be able to wave their MasterCard at a payment point in the drive-thru and have the price of their burger deducted straight from their plastic.
The cards will have to be a PayPass version with technology from VeriFone, however. The technology is now being trialled at two burger joints in the US, in Dallas and New York, and if all goes well, will be rolled out in more 'restaurants'.
Similar RFID projects are already underway in Mobil and Exxon petrol stations in the US.
Comments
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1. Jack gallagher
Old news; Exxon Mobil has implemented Speedpass; RFID enabled systems for a while and McD has been working on the systems validation for a while. Did you just woke up today and realized as something else is going on in this world? or just trying to fill the space on the web!!!
2. Troy Hoskison
Don't like the sound of my credit card being rfid. Could just imagine someone wandering past me in the highstreet and charging stuff to my credit card.
3. Bob Lewis
So now a thief won't even need to know your PIN! Just swipe your wallet and drive thru a McDonalds and have a gorge-fest for free!
When are the bozos who dream up these things going to wake up to reality?
Anyone know where I can get an RFID zapper to nuke the privacy & security defeating little beggars?
4. pidah tnadah
I don't think there is enough security research for rfid on credit cards, and if there is we better know about it before we become victims to somebody's silly smart ideas.The whole rfid thing sounds scary too. I wonder what the manufacturers hope to achieve (if they mean faster way to get fast food then im not down).
5. Mike W
French motorways have had RFID cards for toll payments for many years now, but I presume the novelty is in the technology in a "consumer outlet" context.
McDonalds do seem to have a go with new technologies - back in 1999 they were using a smartcard payment/loyalty scheme in their outlets in Milan.