Maccas fast food, faster with contactless

McDonald's has become the latest chain of stores to jump on the contactless card fad, following the likes of Dymocks and Bunnings last month.

(McDonald's sign Adelaide image by
David Neubert, CC2.0)

Visa and McDonald's announced today that Visa's payWave equipment would be installed in the fast food giant's 816 stores across the nation. The roll-out of the payWave terminals is expected to be completed by the end of this month.

The technology allows customers to use payWave cards to pay, simply by tapping the card against a reader. No PIN or signature is required for transactions under $100.

McDonald's Australia CIO Henry Shiner said that customers would enjoy the payment efficiency. "With Visa payWave, customers will see speedier transactions and they can pick up their food with just a wave of their card," he said.

National Australia Bank, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group and Macquarie Bank are issuing customers with payWave cards. The Australia Financial Review reported this morning that the terminal roll-out was being carried out with Westpac, but the bank had not confirmed that with ZDNet Australia at the time of writing.

Bunnings and Dymocks have been rolling out the alternate contactless payment system from Mastercard, called PayPass. Commonwealth Bank had last month issued around 4 million PayPass-enabled credit and debit cards. Mastercard also announced today that 7-Eleven was rolling out the technology across its over 400 stores.

Visa, Mastercard and banks involved in the card roll-outs have expounded the security of the transactions, despite some concerns that the cards could become prey to rogue scanners. Some companies have even marketed shielded wallets to those worried about contactless cards' security.

"Visa payWave-enabled cards are as secure as any other Visa chip card and carry the same multiple layers of security, including Visa's Zero Liability, which ensures Visa cardholders are not responsible for fraudulent or unauthorised transactions," Visa Australia and New Zealand general manager, Chris Clark, said. "In addition, with Visa payWave the card never leaves your hand, which reduces the risk of fraud."

Clark said at a financial services event last week that contactless payment should also be included in the states' transport smart cards.