London, 7th January, 2010: Orange and Barclaycard today launched a joint contactless credit card which offers customers the option to set their own spending levels and a choice in how they are kept up-to-date with their account. The Orange Credit Card is the first card to give customers this level of control over their account. It also provides customers with a great range of rewards, as well as the ability to make even easier and faster purchases of £10 and under using contactless technology.
The launch of the Orange Credit Card with contactless technology, budget manager and spend controls is the latest step in Orange and Barclaycard’s long-term strategic partnership aimed at introducing a broad range of mobile, financial and payment services to evolve the way consumers make payment transactions in the UK.
The new card features Barclaycard’s responsible approach to lending while capitalising on Orange’s experience in mobile and will allow customers to better manage their finances through features such as:
Automated SMS alerts to keep a tab on spending
o Weekly - the balance, limit and credit remaining
o Monthly - the payment due and payment received
Customer-activated SMS alerts
o Customers can set alerts and blocks on card spend online, abroad or for high value transactions,
o Customers can set a weekly or monthly budget and set alerts when the budget is reached or chose to automatically decline transactions if they exceed the budget
Customers will earn one Orange Credit Card reward point for every £1 spent, which can be redeemed online or by phone, for vouchers that customers can:
Spend at high street shops like Marks & Spencer or HMV
Use as discounts on all Orange products and services purchased through Orange shops – from discounts on new phones to mobile accessories
Get tickets for trips and special events – such as mountain biking, Glastonbury festival, a dry slope skiing lesson or The MasterCard Trophy – Barbarians vs England at Twickenham
Donate to a charity – support good causes, like Guide Dogs, UNICEF or Crisis
Also, by using Barclaycard’s contactless technology, customers only need to hold their card close to a contactless reader to pay for purchases of £10 and under wherever they see the contactless symbol. Contactless payments offer a quicker and more convenient way to pay and customers enjoy the same fraud protection on contactless payments as they do for any other Barclaycard transactions.
Marc Overton, VP of Wholesale, Business Development and Partnerships, Orange UK: “A key part of our UK strategy is to grow and evolve our business, whilst at the same time provide extra value for our customers. In partnering with Barclaycard, we believe we’re doing just that, and today’s announcement is the next exciting step in the journey to the future world of consumers paying for everyday goods on their mobile phone.”
Chris Wood, Managing Director at Barclaycard said: “We are seeing demand from both retailers and customers for ever more convenient ways to pay and accept payment and believe that mobile and contactless technologies are key to meeting those needs. This announcement shows how, in partnership with Orange, Barclaycard is starting to make mobile contactless payments a step closer for UK consumers.”
To find out more about the Orange credit card please visit www.orangecreditcard.co.uk