South African mobile payment app SnapScan now allows\u00a0customers to pay at merchants via Bluetooth instead of scanning\u00a0a code.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are excited to announce the release of SnapBeacon payments,\u201d said Kobus Ehlers, co-founder of the Cape Town-based startup, launched as a collaboration between FireID and Standard Bank in 2014.<\/p>\n
SnapScan enables consumers to pay for their purchases with their smartphones through a combination of a QR code and a secure PIN.<\/p>\n
Standard Bank said in October that the mobile payment app had signed up over 12,000 small businesses since its launch in May 2014.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve always set out to make payments faster and simpler. With beacon technology opening up new possibilities in the mobile payments space, we were keen to stay at the forefront of these developments in the industry,” Ehlers said.<\/p>\n
The new functionality, already available at more than 40 SnapScan merchants<\/a><\/strong> in the Cape Town CBD and Johannesburg, uses beacons to detect where users are, for example, enjoying their lunch or cup of coffee.<\/p>\n This means customers won\u2019t have to scan the usual SnapCode to pay, but will simply click \u201cPay here\u201d in the app to initiate the transaction.<\/p>\n This is the latest in a series of payment innovations released recently, ranging from fingerprint payments (TouchID on Apple iPhone) to email receipts.<\/p>\n Payments are only available on compatible iPhone and Android devices at selected merchants.<\/p>\n Standard Bank unveils Apple\u2019s TouchID for app users<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nMore on Standard Bank<\/h3>\n