With fewer people carrying cash, the Royal British Legion is deploying NFC-enabled collection tins across Birmingham, letting locals tap their mobile phones to donate to the Poppy appeal.
The Legion has teamed up with m-commerce specialists Proxama and Paythru on the 'tap the poppy' project in the run up to Remembrance Day as it bids to raise £37 million to support armed forces veterans.
Brummies who tap their NFC-enabled handsets against collection tins and posters will be taken to a URL where they can choose their donation amount and fill out their bank details. The tins and posters also have QR codes, meaning that people without NFC-enabled phones can use their cameras to donate.
Claire Rowcliffe, Midlands regional fundraising manager, Royal British Legion, says: "We're hoping that this will make it easier for people to support The Royal British Legion on their way to and from work, adding to the success of the Poppy Day and Poppy Appeal."
Rupert Potter, director, strategy, Paythru, adds that the technology should "increase the number and size of donations, allow Royal British Legion to collect gift-aid on donations and to collect contact details for donors".