MasterCard has certified 17 mobile handsets equipped with NFC technology for its MasterCard PayPass technology. This includes three Sony smartphones: the Xperia S, Xperia P and Xperia sola. This will give MasterCard users the ability to make secure contactless payments at thousands of PayPass merchant locations around the globe.
Apparently, devices that are given certification have to “go through a rigorous testing process by a MasterCard-accredited laboratory to ensure devices are functionally reliable and interoperable”.
As NFC technology will only become more synonymous with smartphones, MasterCard has introduced a new “MasterCard PayPass Ready” logo for handsets that have been certified and tested to use this PayPass technology. Therefore we may start to see this logo appear on phone packaging and marketing materials to show that the handset is PayPass compatible. So far only Nokia and RIM have committed to supporting the new brand.
