Boots trials tap and go payments

Customers will soon be able to use Oyster style tap and go cards to pay for medicines and toiletries following a deal between Boots and Mastercard.

Customers will soon be able to use Oyster style ‘tap and go’ cards to pay for medicines and toiletries following a deal between Boots and Mastercard.

The national health and beauty chain has become the first major retailer to sign-up Mastercard’s next generation ‘contactless’ payment system PayPass.

Fifteen stores in London and Liverpool will be equipped with the systems which means customers can tap to pay with no need for cash or card swiping from the ‘second half of 2009.’

The system will be trialled in the two cities alongside a marketing campaign to boost awareness of the system.

Paypass is currently being trialled on part of the bus network is Merseyside, in some black cabs in London and by Manchester United season ticket holders.

Mastercard says so-called contactless payment systems have been shown to reduce queuing times by 15-20% and average transaction times by up to 40%.

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