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Snapper contactless smart cards launched in Auckland.
11 Mar 2011

New contactless smart cards have been launched in Auckland, New Zealand, offering a new way for people in the city to pay for rides in taxis and shop at 150 retail outlets.

According to the National Business Review, Infratil's Snapper instant payment smartcard system is already popular in Wellington.

The card can be loaded with money and payments can be made without the need for any Pins or signatures, however it will not be compatible with Auckland's planned new integrated transport payment system.

Among the companies working with the Snapper programme are Subway and Fix, with the card promising to reduce typical transaction times to less than four seconds.

Chief executive Miki Szikszai was quoted as saying that the technology is "world class" and already used in banks.

"It's the highest end of secure contactless technology," he said.

According to one expert, contactless smart cards will increasingly become the norm, thanks to the popularity of schemes such as Oyster on the London transport network.