Mastercard, U.S. Bank, and Nokia Testing Out NFC

NFC trials are nothing new, both in the United States and abroad, but it’s interesting to know that the testing is getting more and more popular. The latest includes Nokia, a usual suspect, along with Mastercard and U.S. Bank, in the Spokane, WA area. NFC, or Near-Field Communications, allows two equipped devices to exchange information simply by placing them in close proximity to one another. Nokia has been working closely on the technology, specifically in the usage of NFC for mobile payment systems.

For this trial with U.S. Bancorp and Mastercard, participants were given an NFC-enabled Nokia handset equipped with Mastercard’s PayPass technology, for use at the nearly 80,000 PayPass-accepted locations nationwide. Previously Nokia also participated in NFC trials in New York City, the UK, Germany, and China.