Future BlackBerrys to support wireless card payments; Death of the debit card?

By | March 1, 2011, 9:39am PST

Summary: Future BlackBerry devices will contain NFC technology, which will allow you to wirelessly make card transactions with your phone, instead of using your debit or credit card.

Research in Motion’s managing director in the UK confirmed that many future BlackBerry devices will contain near-field communications (NFC) technology, commonly used in wireless debit and credit cards to make quicker in-shop transactions.

While Google’s Nexus S already has NFC installed, BlackBerry manufacturer announced last week that NFC will be deployed in future devices, taking on the same edge that Apple will take in future iPads and iPhones, dubbed the ‘iWallet’.

Wireless credit card readers are not as prevalent here in England than in the US, with only the Barclaycard offering wireless payments from their debit and credit cards. However, there is no reason why in a years time more could be on the market.

Personally I still prefer chip and PIN, though this is one technology that most of the US does not yet have - for some odd reason.

But, presumably if you get your phone lost or stolen, which is still a common problem in many developed regions of the world, it might cause even more aggravation by having to call your card company too.

However, if NFC technology is brought to the BlackBerry, combined with in-house product BlackBerry Protect which might still be included as part of the future operating system, it could allow card recovery to be far easier and quicker.

Would you ditch your debit or credit card for your phone to make payments?

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Topics

Zack Whittaker, a criminologist who studied at the University of Kent, Canterbury, is a journalist, writer and broadcaster.

Disclosure

Zack Whittaker

I worked briefly with Microsoft UK in 2006 but no longer have any connection with the company. Regardless, I remain impartial and unbiased in my views.

I don't hold any stock or shares, investments or industrial secrets in any company, but have signed confidentiality agreements with a number of UK and U.S. organisations, whose names I am not at liberty to disclose.

I was involved with Kent Union, the University of Kent's student union, undertaking voluntary, non-salaried, elected positions between early 2009 and mid-2010.

No other company, body, government department, non-governmental organisation or third sector organisation employs me or pays me a salary in any capacity whatsoever.

As a freelance journalist, whenever expenses are given and taken by a company that is not CBS Interactive, these will be disclosed in each relevant post to ensure transparency.

I currently work with a UK law enforcement unit, but this is an entirely separate position which bears no connection to other work.

(Updated: 23rd October 2011)

Biography

Zack Whittaker

Zack Whittaker, criminologist who studied at the University of Kent, UK, is a journalist, writer and broadcaster.

After studying criminology at university, though still in his early-20's, he has already had a series unconventional work and voluntary positions. He has worked with researchers studying neurological illnesses like Tourette's syndrome (which he suffers from), has given lectures on the nature of disabilities in the public community, and occasionally ends up speaking on television and radio discussing the events of the day.

He first had academic work published at the age of 22, then still an undergraduate, and has been cited by a wide range of publications: from the Huffington Post, Business Insider, AllThingsDigital, The Atlantic Wire and CBS News.

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Future BlackBerrys to support wireless card payments; Death of the debit ca
lili88 29th Sep
You have achieved success in persuading the reader. Congratulation!
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this stuff would have to be secure 8 ways from Sunday for me to even consider it. the fact that they thought using RFID was a good idea to start is laughable.
@bc3tech

from a technical standpoint, current ordinary credit cards are among the easiest to hijack. a very simple mag stripe reader, under $200, and the 3-4 digit code on the back of the card, and i can clone anyone's card in about 2 minutes. the printer to print cards with mag stripes is under $3,000, the card stock is something like $0.15/card. many companies have these printers for their ID badges. to prove it to a skeptical coworker, i duplicated my own credit card and then purchased gas at the gas station with the duplicate. (after that i was able to convince them that locking down access to that printer was a very good idea).

my biggest question is how many concessions to convenience will security have to make?

it's my understanding that the reason credit cards here in the USA don't use a PIN of any kind for most transactions is that users have fought the inconvenience of adding a PIN. being in security myself, i want a PIN on all transactions, and i want the ability to rotate PINs at will. one variant i heard suggested was that you would SMS from an authorized phone a PIN request for the day, and the reply would a random number that would be your PIN for that day only, it expired at midnight. i thought this a marvelous idea!

the majority didn't want to be bothered with the added steps...

whether we like it or not, we are heading in this direction. the credit card companies want tighter security because fraud cuts into their profits, but because of user backlash have not been able to successfully implement simple improvements such as a PIN for all credit card transactions. so instead they are looking at much more complicated ways to improve security without perceived added inconvenience to the users
Sorry not gonna use it. Wait until Hackers starts break it in. happy

Also blackberry sucks! windows phone 7 way better.
@ipadsucker
WP7 will be the last to support wireless payments lol
@Hasam1991
Which is a good thing as youd have to be an idiot to use this feature. Its slower then swiping a card and all around a very unsafe way to pay. Like mention loose your phone now you have to change bank accounts crads and replace them all. idoits at work on this technology.
Smartphone malware is on the increase. NO WAY
0 Votes
+ -
i agree with everyone else
kcredden2 1st Mar 2011
When you consider crackers are breaking into smartphones left and right. Do you want them to also crack into your banking account, or CC?

Sorry, I have YET to use those wireless credit/debit cards, like the devil I'll put it on my smartphone.

Make them IMPOSSIBLE to be broke into, and we'll talk.

- Kc
0 Votes
+ -
Cash only
DigiTechDude 1st Mar 2011
I only use cash for all transactions that can be done in person.
Only if I absolutely have to. I prefer my debit card to anything.
Besides, I don't have, and will not have, a Blackberry. By time it filters to me, who knows, it may be secure ( yeah, right).
While this sounds like an up and coming technology for us consumers, I suspect adoption, especially at the middle / low end stores will be very slow. Cost of new equipment.

Add to that, only 20% or so cell phone users have smartphones, all the rest have your standard type cell.
That, is the group you have too reach.

So; non-smart phone users and store owner adoption - not in the near future.

;(
0 Votes
+ -
Not an Early adapter for this
zclayton2 2nd Mar 2011
And I prefer to have my card declined than to get a stealth overdraft charge the next day. Unless it offers that protection I'll stick with plastic du jour.
If it were any other smartphone (iPhone and jailbreaks, Android and Google or Win7 just being windows) I would say no but Blackberies are known for their security features, (they banned in certain countries because of SAID security) I might give it a go...
Wait... Why aren't we using pins anymore? Cool technology but it'll be fun to watch others use, Not me!
I like your writing style. It is easy to understand the content of the article.
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You have achieved success in persuading the reader. Congratulation!
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