Barclaycard trials mobile phone payment system

After conducting a successful internal pilot, Barclaycard will now proceed with a trial of the new mobile phone ‘touch-and-go’ system, the firm has announced.

Customers taking part in the experiment will be able to pay for items costing under £10 with a touch of their mobile phones on a payment terminal.

A total of 225 individuals will be given mobiles with the ability to make contactless payments, while 275 will receive a handset with an in-built Oyster card with which to travel around London.

Barclay’s head of development and research Colin Swain, said: "We continually investigate new ways of making our customers’ lives easier and giving them choice, and we are excited by the many opportunities mobile devices could bring.

"This trial will ensure we can gain ‘real-world’ feedback on what our customers think of mobile payments, which will help us define the service going forward."

Those who are trialing making contactless payments with their phones will be given £200 to spend by Barclaycard.