Shoppers at Luxembourg supermarket chain Auchan will soon be able to top-up their loyalty points at the checkout using bluetooth and NFC beacons, in the latest iteration of the Digicash mobile payments scheme.
Under the programme, customers are able to link their Auchan Luxembourg loyalty cards to their bank’s mobile app, automatically topping up accounts for every Digicash transaction. Payments are carried out from the payers’ bank account via Sepa Credit Transfers using the Step2 interbank channel from EBA Clearing.
Besides their deployment at Auchan Luxembourg, Digicash says its beacon terminals are currently being installed at points of sale all over the country. The company says the service is under evaluation by a number of European banks for deployment in other markets.
Raoul Mulheims, CEO of Digicash Payments, says: "Our goal is to position our product as 'best in class' in all payment contexts. After having improved online and bill payment, this ambitious system offers real added value to payments made at major retail outlets."
The Digicash mobile payment scheme was introduced on the Luxembourg market in November 2012 and is issued by country’s four major banks: BGL BNP Paribas, Luxembourg’s State and Savings Bank (Banque et Caisse d’Epargne de l’Etat, Luxembourg), Banque Internationale à Luxembourg (BIL) and POST Luxembourg. The app has so far been downloaded by 13% of local bank clients.