UK retailers sign up for 'contactless' Barclaycard payment system

More than 1,000 retailers in the UK have signed up for a new contactless-payment system being launched this autumn, it was announced today.

Barclaycard is launching a new three-in-one payment card, called OnePulse, which will enable people to buy an airline ticket, coffee and travel on London Underground using a single piece of plastic.

The card combines an Oyster card, Barclaycard and so-called OneTouch payment system, which enables people to make transactions of up to £10 (€15) simply by touching a scanner with their card.

The group said today that more than 1,000 stores throughout the capital had signed up to use the group’s cashless payment technology, including chains such as Coffee Republic, Threshers, Books Etc, Yo! Sushi, Eat and Krispy Kreme.

It predicts that people will be able to use the cards in several thousand outlets in London by the end of the year.

Elizabeth Chambers, chief marketing officer at Barclaycard, said: “In recent months, we have seen a surge of retailers and other stores planning to adopt this new technology for payments. Cashless payments are starting to become a reality.”

Barclaycard plans to roll out the card across the rest of the UK during 2008.

Payments body Apacs has previously estimated that there could be more than five million contactless payment cards from a range of providers in circulation by the end of 2008, accepted at more than 100,000 retailers.