Orange and Barclaycard have launched Quick Tap, the UK’s first contactless mobile payment service. Payments of £15 and under will be accepted at the likes of Pret a Manger, EAT, Little Chef, Wembley Arena, Subway, Wilkinson and McDonalds.

Launching with one of Orange’s best-selling devices, the Samsung Tocco Lite, the service will be available on pay as you go and pay monthly price plans, with more handsets expected to follow from a selection of leading manufacturers. Barclaycard, Barclays debit or Orange Credit Card users can transfer funds of up to £100 onto the handset’s Quick Tap app, after which the phone is ready to make payments of £15 and under.

David Chan, CEO at Barclaycard Consumer Europe, says: “This is the first time that customers can use their mobile to pay for goods and services in shops across the UK rather than using cards or cash. They’ll be able to do this, safe in the knowledge that this is a secure technology brought to them by the biggest names in payments and mobile technology. Having a wallet on my phone has made it much more convenient to make purchases on the move and I like that it allows me to keep track of what I’m spending as I go. Barclaycard launched credit cards in the UK over 40 years ago and have been leading the evolution of payments ever since.”

Pippa Dunn, Orange vice president, comments: "We no longer use our mobile phones simply for talking and texting - apps, cameras and music players allow us to use them for a lot more. So, making contactless payments with your mobile is a natural and really exciting innovation which we're pleased to be leading on in the UK.”

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