In message .com, at
09:28:10 on Fri, 3 Aug 2007, Mizter T remarked:
I'm also a sceptic (see my other posts on this thread) but there is a
whole new wave (excuse the pun) of micro-payments on the way... the
Barclaycard OnePulse card, to be launched this september in London,
will include wave-and-pay RFID technology for purchases under £10, as
well as Oyster card capability (the balance held in the virtual Oyster
purse will be separate from the wave-and-pay system).

Incidentally wave-and-pay would appear to be the generic term -
Visa calls it "Visa payWave":
(http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/paywave/index.html)
and Barclays appear to call the technology "OneTouch".

The ThriftyScot article (first link below) says that the Royal Bank of
Scotland (owners of NatWest) and American Express plan cards using
this technology.

I do see a troublesome few years ahead. Having finally got out of the
woods with every store trying to thrust loyalty cards at you (I'm sure
the schemes still exist, but most seem to have stopped actively
recruiting new shoppers), we'll soon have a wallet full of one-purpose
rfid cards.

They are converting the Amsterdam public transport to some sort of
Oyster-like system quite soon now. So less moaning about the problems of
finding a ticket machine there that'll take credit cards, but it's one
more bit of dedicated plastic to carry everywhere (and to add to the
Brussels metro carnet card, the Oyster, my Nottingham City transport bus
pass, at least one door key, and who knows what else). And not just
that, but each of those (apart from the door key) has its own billing
system, or its own bit of prepay cash sitting in limbo.

They say all the ATOC cards [or is it phones] are going to be compatible
with each other, but I wouldn't take bets on it.
--
Roland Perry