Can smartpass work with NFC yet?

[Anonymous]

Or does it still have to use a tag on the back of the phone?

[terryh]

I downloaded the app onto my LG G3 the other day which has NFC and runs KitKat to see what would happen.

Halfway through the registration it says I was eligible to receive the sticker so I didn't bother.

Really can't see the point of a sticker on the back when there's NFC built in, are Vodafone ever going to allow us to use the phone's NFC?

[jeffkinn]

One day this will come but not for a while yet. It's a security issue as much as anything and the financial services industry is as much to blame as anyone else.

Now that apple has finally jumped on the NFC bandwagon perhaps we might see some advances in this area sooner rather than later. It will be interesting to see how Apple Pay works in practice, especially as Apple are taking a fee every time someone uses apple Pay!

I have a Smartpass sticker and it doesn't bother me and it works very well in those places that have contactless terminals and where the transaction is under £20.

[terryh]

I have a contactless debit card which I use when I can and it does save me time.

The use of NFC in phones for payments has been around for a long time (Samsung were using it during the olympics in 2012) but nothing seems to have come of it.

I can't see the point of topping up a sticker to be honest, lets hope someone can implement this correctly at some point. Hopefully the banks will start offering it inside their apps.

[jeffkinn]

The point about having a facility that you top up is that it limits your exposure. If you lose your debit card your bank account can be emptied. If I lose my phone, apart from the grief and distress that alone would cause me, I would be safe knowing that the maximum exposure I have on my Smartpass card is £20 as that is all I keep on it.

[hrym]

Apple seem to have gone to some lengths to make onboard NFC work with payment software, so I'm guessing that it's not as simple as just connecting and I think there may be issues of security.  There are rumours that Smartpass will be able to use NFC some time this autumn.