Mobile phone Oyster payment system

Transport for London have announced this week, that London Underground are ready to launch a system to enable passengers to pay for their train journeys with a mobile phone. The system would initially be launched with handset manufacturer Nokia and phone network O2, but would almost certainly extend to other mobile makes and networks.

This inevitable step follows the launch of the Oyster contactcard payment system, and last month's launch of a combined credit card and Oyster card from Barclaycard.

Over 50% of all phones sold in Japan have the embedded RFID chips that enable this technology. Contactless payment by mobile phones is set to become part of everyday life.

At IncentiveDirect, we believe that the future of incentives are mobile and connected, combinining the freedom of choice of vouchers, with the communication and reporting features that a mobile, online solution can offer. We continue to monitor developments in this sector, and evaluate tools and technologies.