The US is beginning to adopt contactless payment systems on a wider scale, years after the technology has already become standardised in other countries. In 2013, Apple introduced its own mobile payments system, called iBeacon, which uses NFC chips and can be used with any smartphone. Last year, J.P. Morgan's Chase said it would start issuing contactless cards to millions of its customers, and Visa expects more than 100 million cards will be in the hands of American consumers by the end of the year. The transition towards contactless payments is expected to be faster than the one towards chip and pin systems, with most existing card terminals already offering contactless services.
The US is beginning to adopt contactless payment systems on a wider scale, years after the technology has already become standardised in other countries. In 2013, Apple introduced its own mobile payments system, called iBeacon, which uses NFC chips and can be used with any smartphone. The transition towards contactless payments is expected to be faster than the one towards chip and pin systems, with most existing card terminals already offering contactless services.