Visa is to equip all 366 British athletes, as well as 150 support crew, with a Team GB-branded Payment Band for making tap-and go purchases during the Olympics.
The bands, which Visa has developed in partnership with Barclaycard, utilise a secure bPay microchip with an embedded NFC-enabled antenna to allow contactless payments without the use of a battery or need for it to be recharged. Athletes have a choice between blue or white bands, complementing their Team GB uniforms.
Kevin Jenkins, Visa managing director for the UK and Ireland, says: “Wearable payments make life so much easier - fewer things to carry, fewer things to keep track of - which is why Visa is innovating in this area with our partners. We are proud to work with Barclaycard in support of Team GB and hope that the band makes their life just that little bit easier with tap at the checkout.”
Olympics sponsor Visa has installed 4000 NFC-enabled POS terminal at key venues across the Olympic park as it bids to showcase the future of cashless payments. The card scheme has variously teamed up with Swatch to promote the Bellamy 'pay-by-the-wrist' timepiece across Brazil and with Bradesco for a sweat and water resistant NFC payment bracelet. It is also handing out creamic NFC-enabled rings to 45 'Team Visa' Olympic hopefuls.