Swedish mPOS vendor iZettle has commenced the global roll-out of a new hardware dongle for small businesses that integrates both Chip & PIN and contactless payments, and includes out-of-the-box support for Apple Pay.
In the UK, the number of contactless payments hit 319 million in 2014, a 220% increase year-on-year. The momentum is expected to pave the way for a consumer shift to new mobile payments apps, such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet.
The Card Reader Pro Contactless, is initially being distributed to select partners across the United Kingdom and will retail for around £79. Small businesses will be able to use the kit to immediately accept payments using credit and debit cards saved on iPhones or Apple Watch.
Jacob de Geer, iZettle’s CEO and co-founder, says: “Having tried Apple Pay, I’m convinced this service will spur a shift in payment behaviour away from plastic, and I can’t wait for Apple to roll out this service to markets outside of the US.”
IZettle is not the first mPOS vendor to anticipate the arrival of Apple Pay. In March, Ingenico released an audio jack-based point-of-sale dongle offering full support for mag-stripe and NFC contactless transactions.