Samsung and Visa announce limited edition NFC payment ready Galaxy SIII for the London 2012 Olympics
Samsung and Visa have today announced (May 9) the Galaxy SIII will be the official handset for the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Samsung, in partnership with Visa, will launch a limited edition version of the device which includes the Visa payWave application to allow NFC payments.
Visa payWave for mobile allows users to select the Visa icon on their mobile device and hold the phone to a contactless payment terminal to pay. Purchases above £20 require a passcode. The application also allows customers to check their transaction history and view their account balance.
Visa say there will be around 140,000 retailers across London equipped with contactless terminals to allow NFC payments for goods.
The Samsung Galaxy SIII was unveiled earlier this month and becomes available from May 30. At present, the limited edition version will only be available to athletes and selected trialists.
Executive VP and head of sales and marketing team of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business DJ Lee said: “Mobile payment services enabled by NFC technology are gaining momentum around the world. The Samsung GALAXY S III has been created with our human needs and capabilities in mind and is the ideal device to showcase the ease and convenience of Visa’s mobile payment application.”
Senior Vice President of Mobile at Visa Europe Sandra Alzetta added: “Mobile technology has long been a revolutionary force in our lives and NFC-enabled devices such as the Galaxy S III will fundamentally change the way we pay.
“The future is mobile and cash usage will only continue to decline as people use their mobile devices to manage their money, shop and pay. This summer our partnership with Samsung will showcase all the advantages of the future of payments: security, convenience, speed and flexibility being forefront among them.”