Drivers using the M6 Toll Road will be able to pay for their journey using their contactless credit and debit cards from as early as February 2012. The M6 Toll has been working with Barclaycard to install easy-to-use contactless payments at toll booths, allowing customers to pay for their journey by simply holding their card over the terminal.
Contactless will initially be trialled on a single lane from this autumn, with the aim of rolling the technology out across all card-accepting toll booths in the first quarter of 2012.
Contactless, which has been championed by Barclays and Barclaycard, allows users to pay for goods and services under £15 by simply holding their card on a reader without the need to enter a PIN or sign their name. The technology is 52% faster to transact than cash and 33% quicker than chip and PIN payments, helping to reduce queuing time at the toll plazas on a road built for speed and convenience.[1]
Richard Armstrong, Head of Barclaycard UK Payment Acceptance, says of the partnership:
“The contactless terminals at card payment lanes at the toll payment plazas will not only cut queues, but will also help drivers avoid the potentially dangerous scrabble for change.”
Tom Fanning, Chief Executive of the M6 Toll, expects contactless to prove popular with drivers:
“Over 40,000 drivers benefit from the ease and reliability of the M6 Toll every day. The introduction of contactless is the latest step in making card payment as quick and easy as using the road itself. In helping bring this innovation to drivers, Barclaycard has been a perfect partner – working with us to implement the new system. We will soon be able to demonstrate the value of contactless to our customers, who will, I am certain, welcome this innovation.”
The M6 Toll was opened in December 2003 and pioneered the acceptance of card payments at toll booths from that date. The new deal with Barclaycard will see all card transactions managed by the payments business.
Contactless cards are commonly available among the general public in the UK with 11.4 million contactless-enabled Barclays debit and Barclaycard credit cards currently in circulation. Contactless cardholders are already able to make payments in over 50,000 outlets that have the terminals provided by Barclaycard, including Little Chef, Prêt a Manger, Wembley Arena and EAT.
The growing number of contactless cards and payment terminals has lead to an increase in the number of contactless transactions, which rose by 150 per cent comparing 2010 with 2009.
About contactless
Contactless payment enables customers to make a purchase of £15 or less without the need to sign or enter a pin. Barclays and Barclaycard are leading the way in introducing contactless and there are now over 11 million contactless-enabled Barclaycards and Barclays debit cards, helping retailers reduce queuing and cut the cost of card transactions. In line with its history of providing customers with innovative payment forms, Barclaycard also intends to make payments by mobile phone available to the mass market by 2012.
Barclays and Barclaycard are the leading providers of Contactless terminals, providing them for around 50,000 outlets in the UK, including Prêt A Manger, Subway, and EAT.
To find out more about Contactless payment, visit www.barclaycard.co.uk/contactless/ or www.Barclays.co.uk/contactless
Barclaycard, part of Barclays Retail and Business Banking, is a leading global payment business which helps consumers, retailers and businesses to make and accept payments flexibly, and to access short-term credit when needed.
The company is one of the pioneers of new forms of payments and is at the forefront of developing viable contactless and mobile payment schemes for today and cutting edge forms of payment for the future. It also issues credit and charge cards to corporate customers and the UK Government. Barclaycard partners with a wide range of organisations across the globe to offer their customers or members payment options and credit.
In addition to the UK, Barclaycard operates in the United States, Europe and Africa.
Key facts published in February 2012;
- number of customers: 23.5m
- number of retailer/merchant relationships: 87,000
Barclays.com