Visa has teamed with Texan start-up DeviceFidelity on an iPhone case that enables owners to make contactless payments with the Apple handset.
In an apparent error, a joint press release on the launch appeared online yesterday before being swiftly pulled from the MarketWatch site. However, before its removal, the news was picked up by NFC World, which has published the text.
The protective iPhone case, which has been certified by Apple, includes a secure memory card developed by DeviceFidelity that hosts Visa's payWave contactless payment application.
This means iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G owners can make low-value payments at payWave-enabled terminals by waving their handsets over the reader.
The original release, which can still be found online, provides a link - which does not work - to a video showing the device in action and interviews with Visa and DeviceFidelity.
Visa first teamed up with DeviceFidelity in February as it looks to exploit the potentially lucrative mobile phone-based contactless payments market.
There is also speculation that Apple itself could make moves into the market, with a recent Bloomberg report quoting Will Stofega, program manager at researcher IDC, who suggests the firm could be looking to buy contactless specialist Vivotech.