Orange and Visa Europe have announced the commercial launch of Orange Cash in Caen and Strasbourg, two of the cities with the highest use of contactless payments in France. With the launch Orange becomes the first mobile network operator in France to offer mobile contactless payments to its customers.
The Orange Cash application acts as a ‘mobile purse’, taking the form of a Visa prepaid card on a phone. In order to take full advantage of the Visa contactless payment solution, Orange customers who have an NFC smartphone compatible with Orange Cash will have to go into an Orange store. Once the app has been downloaded, users are just a few clicks away from activating the service – regardless of their bank. The process is very simple, with no obligation and no paperwork.
The Orange Cash application is based on a prepaid account that customers can top up via any debit or credit bank card. Once the app has been topped up, customers can use the smartphone like any other wallet, in any retail outlet that accepts Visa contactless payments worldwide. To make a payment, users simply have to place their mobile on a payment terminal that accepts contactless payment. A passcode chosen by the user will be required for any payment over the contactless limit (note: this limit varies by country).
Users can view their transactions in real time and check their account balance, which is instantly updated.
