US banking group BB&T has begun issuing payment cards featuring Visa's contactless payments technology to select customers under a pilot programme.
The North Carolina-based bank is rolling out its Contactless BB&T Check Cards to select customers in Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Virginia and Washington.
Cardholders can pay for purchases by holding their cards near a secure reader at the checkout instead of swiping them or handing them to a cashier. Customers will not be required to provide a signature for most purchases under $25, and contactless merchants will not have to provide a receipt for purchases under $25 to cardholders.
Scott Qualls, deposit access products manager, BB&T, says: "This technology provides a faster purchasing experience for both clients and merchants. We anticipate that the new contactless card will meet BB&T's goal of using innovative technology to support faster and more convenient access to their transaction accounts at the point of sale."
Last year US Bank rolled out contactless Visa cards to customers who agreed to participate in a pilot of the technology.
Wells Fargo has also issued contactless payment cards to holders of its Visa Platinum and Signature credit cards and Chase Bank sent out contactless Visa debit cards, branded 'blink', to customers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
In a separate move BB&T has signed a multi-year contract with CheckFree for the supply of electronic bill payment services.
Under the terms of agreement, CheckFree will serve as BB&T's primary electronic bill payment processing provider.
Commenting on the deal, Bennett Bradley, EVP and head of BB&T's payment services division, says: "Our partnership with CheckFree affirms BB&T's strong commitment to providing high-quality electronic bill payment services to our retail and small business clients."