CONTACTLESS-ONLY READERS MAKE LIFE SIMPLER AT VENDING MACHINES

Vending machines, with their small purchase amounts, offer great potential for the use of contactless cards. On 5 March 2018, commercial network operator Card4Vend GmbH, working in conjunction with acquiring partner SIX Payment Services, installed Germany’s first unattended contactless-only payment modules for acceptance of contactless girocard in Berlin.

Busy pilot location in Berlin

Last December Card4Vend equipped the new self-service laundry at the Schlachtensee student village in Berlin for acceptance of international debit and credit cards.  The recent installation of contactless-only readers (CORs) means that the 1,000 residents of the student village can now also use the popular contactless girocard to pay at this modern laundry.

SIX Payment Services worked at full stretch to put the environment in place for launching the CORs. “We are delighted to have a partner like SIX that understands the payments business in Germany and is also a major player in acquiring in Europe. This enabled us to achieve our goal of being the first provider to equip unattended solutions with CORs,” explain Anne and Arne Meil, the two managing directors of Card4Vend.

Besides technical network operation, in this project, SIX Payment Services is also responsible for acceptance of international debit and credit cards. “With Card4Vend we are working with an expert partner in unattended solutions that brings with it the skills and experience needed to serve the complex vending machine market with our technical solutions,” says Panagiotis Karasavvoglou, Country Manager Germany at SIX Payment Services.

Advantages for vending machine operators and customers 

Within 12 months of the introduction of contactless girocard in Germany approximately half of all the girocard terminals and 35 million cards have been equipped for contactless payments. Both the merchants and their customers benefit from simpler, quicker payments and from increased security and convenience.

During 2018, Card4Vend and SIX Payment Services will focus on installing more vending machine CORs in and around Kassel, the German Banking Industry’s Committee’s pilot region. The rollout across Germany is planned for locations that are interested in the new service.