NatWest is trialling new mobile technology to provide customers an alternative way to pay which doesn’t require the use of a debit or credit card, becoming the first UK High Street bank to do so.

The service removes the need to input long card numbers by providing customers with the option to press a button at the end of the purchase process which will take them through to their mobile app. Then the customer will login with Touch ID, or their standard password, before the process completes automatically – cutting the times involved from minutes to just seconds.

Customers will immediately see their balance updated in real time and therefore avoid any surprise transactions or overdraft fees.

The trial is being conducted with Carphone Warehouse to pay the excess on mobile phone insurance claims using any enabled devices, with further trials being undertaken with other business customers later in the year. Initial results showed that over half of customers chose to make their payment using the service, rather than use their card.

NatWest stated the trial has been made possible by harnessing both Faster Payments and Open Banking, adding that it enables the bank to “compete more effectively with FinTechs and tech firms that have started to offer new services and products to both personal customers and commercial customer”.

Cathy Dargue, head of payables at NatWest, commented: “In order to develop this new service we’ve harnessed Open Banking, which means in future this could be offered not only to our own customers, but potentially to the customers of other banks as well.”

The bank’s director of payments Marion King added: “Competition in the payments industry is fierce, so I’m pleased that we as a bank are responding with market leading innovation that our personal customers and business customers can really benefit from.”

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