Near Field Communication is seen by many as one new payment channel which could really challenge the dominance of cash and cards.
It has already found the backing of some of the famous brands, including Starbuck's and McDonald's. And judging by the latest rumours it is about to be endorsed by one of the biggest names in business - Apple.
MasterCard's head of emerging payments, Ed McLaughlin, has recently given an interview in which he refused to quash reports that Apple are looking to add the NFC technology to their handsets. If that was to take place then the iPhone, which is currently one of the most popular mobiles around could open this payment channel up to a huge number of consumers.
It has also been announced in Paris that NFC will become acceptable as a payment method for people using the Metro and in the future phones enabled with this technology could even replace the actual tickets.
We are currently witnessing the emergence of many new ideas around payments. They are meant to help adapt the way we pay to the way our lives and the technology around us is changing. Many of those proposed channels could help improve consumers' lives, while others will never make it off the planning table.
NFC seems to be one of those new channels, which could potentially succeed, even if it does not become the main payment method of the future. Many shoppers already seem very keen about not having to carry wallets and cards with them. All we need now is for more retailers to begin accepting such payments.
Visa and Samsung plan a massive rollout of NFC payments during the upcoming London Olympic Games. It will be the biggest test yet for both the durability and security of this new channel. However it is could be exactly what is required to finally tip the balance firmly in favour of this technology.
It is possible that many retailers and manufacturers are awaiting the outcome of this test to make a final decision on whether to adopt NFC or not.
For now at least it remains the brightest of the new payment stars out there.
Eva works for PayPoint.net - providing businesses with merchant accounts
Follow Eva Grzybek on Twitter: www.twitter.com/paypointdotnet
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