Skip to main content

Mobile payment and transit trial underway in Taiwan

Taiwanese Cathay United Bank has launched a trial for mobile payments and transit in Taipei. The project enables bank customers to use their mobile phones to make contactless payments at local stores and to access the Taipei public transit system. The NFC-capable microSD cards used as a secure element in this project are supplied by Giesecke & Devrient Secure Flash Solutions. The mobile security card SWP microSD card is the first in Taiwan that is compliant with MasterCard PayPass standards. This card has b
August 1, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Taiwanese Cathay United Bank has launched a trial for mobile payments and transit in Taipei. The project enables bank customers to use their mobile phones to make contactless payments at local stores and to access the Taipei public transit system. The NFC-capable microSD cards used as a secure element in this project are supplied by Giesecke & Devrient Secure Flash Solutions. The mobile security card SWP microSD card is the first in Taiwan that is compliant with MasterCard PayPass standards. This card has been approved for this trial project, which allows users to pay at popular local convenience and department stores by simply tapping their 3876 HTC phone on a specially equipped merchant terminal.

Additionally, the Mobile Security Card SWP has been approved by v Corporation to be used as a contactless ‘EasyCard’, the popular contactless transit card for the Taipei Metro (MRT) and buses. As an alternative to topping up the card’s balance with banknotes, there is an auto top-up feature which allows the card’s balance to be topped up via MasterCard’s credit card functionality, so no cash is needed. Pre-charged fares are deducted automatically from the card when the HTC NFC phone with Mobile Security Card SWP is passed over the EasyCard sensor on fare gates, aboard buses or in merchant stores.

Related Content

  • Singapore aims for cashless public transport by 2020
    August 11, 2017
    Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) and TransitLink are working towards a fully cashless vision for public transport by 2020, as part of their Smart Nation efforts. LTA and TransitLink are to launch a series of initiatives where commuters will no longer use cash to pay for rides or to top up stored-value cards. A key part of this is account-based ticketing, which LTA has been piloting with Mastercard since March 2017. This provides commuters with the convenience of tapping in and out with contactless
  • Launch of first US smartphone commuter rail ticketing system
    November 13, 2012
    Customers in Massachusetts Bay on the US east coast can now purchase and then display rail tickets and passes using the MBTA mTicket app for iPhone and Android. Blackberry devices will also be supported soon. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and Masabi US, the transit mobile ticketing provider, jointly announced the launch of the US’ first full smartphone commuter rail ticketing system. The tickets are displayed on the phone’s screen as an encrypted barcode and as a human readable ticket.
  • Minneapolis-St. Paul’s Go-To gets the Cubic touch
    April 23, 2024
    Contactless fare system is centrepiece of upgrade to transit ticketing in the Twin Cities
  • Sacramento transit goes contactless
    April 11, 2025
    SacRT will use Tap2Ride for buses and paratransit, with light rail to follow