G&D recognized for cell-phone sticker option for contactless payments
March 10, 2010
Convego Air Mobile, the sticker for contactless payment developed by Giesecke & Devrient, took home this year's CIT Golden Card awards in the category of "most innovative payment card," according to a news release from G&D.
Organized since 2002 by the Institute for International Research, the Golden Card awards recognize excellence in the smart-card industry. The awards are given in conjunction with the CIT Congress, Spain's leading smart-card event, held annually in Madrid, Spain.
Convego Air Mobile is a sticker that enables users to make contactless payments with the full functionality of a credit or debit card. Once the thin and pliable foil has been affixed to a cell phone or PDA, the device can be used to pay bills at all cash terminals and ticket machines supported by MasterCard PayPass standard. The payment sticker is an important transitional technology on the way to contactless payment transactions, G&D says.
"By affixing the sticker to their cell phone, users can pay small amounts contactlessly," said Axel Deininger, head of the payments at G&D. "We expect Convego Air Mobile to speed up the market for contactless payment methods."
The Convego Air Mobile payment sticker measures 1.7 inches x 1.3 inches. The surface of the sticker provides enough space for customer-specific designs and optical personalization by laser engraving, the company says.