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Contactless smart card use to expand in Taiwan
10 Mar 2010

The use of contactless smart cards to pay for goods and services is set to grow in Taiwan, as the payment technology continues to expand across the globe.

For small purchases it will be possible to pay using EasyCards, which have a maximum storage value of NT$10,000 (roughly £209), from the beginning of April, it has been announced.

EasyCards have been widely used on Taiwanese transit systems since their introduction in 2002, but this announcement heralds the start of contactless payment in participating retail outlets.

Companies which have committed to the scheme so far include the country's four primary supermarket chains as well as international organisations such as Starbucks and Pizza Hut, according to Focus Taiwan.

Lien Sheng-Wen, the EasyCard Corp chairman, told the news channel that there are currently between 12 million and 13 million of the cards in circulation, all of which will be able to make use of the technology in the retail chains mentioned.

Taiwan's adoption of the technology to facilitate contactless payment makes it the latest in a series of countries to endorse the technology.

In the UK, providers such as sQuidcard allow users to catch trains and buses, make small purchases in shops and provide for cashless catering in schools or universities.