Shoppers set to pay by mobile phone in new deal

Some shoppers will be able to pay for retail purchases next year with their mobile phone after a deal struck between Etisalat and Emirates NBD.

The partnership between the region's largest bank in terms of assets and the largest telco will allow Emirates NBD Visa cardholders to purchase goods and services simply by using their mobile phones.

The partnership also includes Gemalto, a world leader in digital security and Visa, will allow payment by waving the NFC-enabled phone in front of the payment terminal eliminating the need for the traditional swiping of payment cards.

This mobile NFC (Near Field Communications) contactless technology operates within a 4cm range and customers will have a passcode to make transactions more secure.

Purchases will be charged directly to the customer's Emirates NBD Visa credit card account just as they would be with a traditional card payment.

NFC enabled mobile phones will soon be available from major handset manufacturers like Samsung & Nokia in the UAE and Etisalat is working to bring these to market.

Jamal Bin Ghalaita, Deputy CEO, Emirates NBD, said: "Emirates NBD believes contactless mobile payment services will be a key lifestyle driver for our highly mobile customer base, and we are delighted to be the a leading bank to deliver this innovative service to them."

No retail outlets have been selected to take part in a pilot project, but the service is expected to be tested at a number of food courts in Dubai malls, where customer traffic was high. Dubai Metro stations may also be involved.

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