European News Roundup: Rewards for U.K. Shoppers, Mastercard and Apple Pay in Spain
In this week’s roundup of news, Google offers rewards for U.K. Android Pay shoppers, Mastercard brings Apple Pay to Spain, and SecurionPay adds a cross-sale feature to its payments software.
Google is offering U.K. users of Android Pay rewards for shopping in stores or using the app on the Transport for London network. Each time a consumers uses the app through the end of the year, they will receive a “virtual cracker” that could contain a gift card worth up to £500. The first five purchases with the app will also earn coins; collecting all of them will earn the user a free coffee.
Mastercard announced that it is working with several partners in Spain to enable Spanish consumers to use their Mastercard cards with Apple Pay.
“Apple Pay and the Mastercard Digital Enablement Service (MDES) give consumers a simple, convenient and secure way to shop,” said Ovidio Egido, General Manager at Mastercard in Spain in a press release. “Mastercard was first in the world to offer contactless and mobile payment solutions to consumers and in Spain we have seen contactless transactions increase by 145% from Q3 2015 to Q3 2016. We are very pleased that Mastercard cardholders will be able to make easy and private payments with Apple Pay in Spain, with the assurance that every purchase is secure and they will receive the same guarantees and benefits they expect from their Mastercard.”
Switzerland-based digital payment software company SecurionPay recently announced the addition of Cross-Sales, a new feature that enables users of its payments software to offer related merchandise, such as cases or other accessories for smartphones, to their customers immediately after an initial purchase.
SecurionPay offers software that enables companies to accept card payments on their web sites or through their mobile apps. The company says that its software accepts payments in 160 different currencies, and can automatically recognize and translate 23 different languages.
“If you’re operating in the online retail space in the twenty-first century, it really is a no-brainer that if you’re not delivering an exceptional user experience or navigable interface, you can bet your customers will go elsewhere, and your bottom line will suffer as a result,” said SecurionPay Co-Founder & CEO Lucas Jankowiak in a press release. “We designed SecurionPay as way for eCommerce and other online business players to easily provide that value while giving their team end-to-end control over the entire shopping process.”