News

Citibank to start automatically issuing contactless payment stickers for new credit cards

PRAGUE – Starting in February 2013, Citibank Europe plc will also issue, automatically and free of charge, a contactless payment sticker with each new Citi Life, Citi Life Metropole, Citi Broker Consulting, Citi BILLA and Citi ČSA credit card. Payments using contactless payment stickers work in the same way as with contactless credit cards: simply hold the sticker in front of the reader in the payment terminal and the transaction is completed. The contactless stickers will make shopping even quicker and more convenient for Citibank clients.

Citi is a pioneer of new technologies in the Czech Republic. It and has been a market leader in a number of contactless payment innovations in recent years. Citi was the first to introduce a contactless card in the Czech Republic; it made the first contactless payment transaction; it was the first to begin to issue contactless payment stickers; it participated in a pilot project for NFC contactless mobile payments; and in September 2012 it was the first bank in the Czech Republic that introduced first multifunctional credit card of its kind that combines the advantages of credit card and the regional public transport card Opuscard. And now Citibank will become the only bank in the Czech Republic to begin to automatically issue its new clients with contactless payment stickers for credit cards.

“Citibank wants to provide its clients with state-of-the-art technologies that will make shopping easier for them. Therefore it will begin to issue free contactless payment stickers with most of new Citi credit cards. Upon a request, the current holders of Citi credit cards will also receive a free sticker,” said Milan Řezníček, Citibank credit card product manager. He added: “Payments using contactless payment stickers are faster and more convenient, and are secure as well. They can be used at any of the rapidly increasing contactless payment terminals available in the Czech Republic.”

This unique service is provided with new Citi Life, Citi Life Metropole, Citi Broker Consulting, Citi BILLA and Citi ČSA credit cards issued in cooperation with MasterCard. In the near future, contactless stickers will also be automatically provided with the O2 Citi credit cards that are issued in cooperation with VISA.

The sticker can be placed, in any location such as back of a cell phone but also anywhere else – on a key fob, etc. Instead of their card, which they do not always need to have on them, clients will then use their cell phone/key fob with the sticker for making payments. The use of contactless payment stickers is as easy and secure as the use of contactless credit cards. The system does not require the PIN for payments below CZK 500; all the customer has to do is hold the sticker in front of the payment terminal. This method of payment can be used at all acceptance points that support contactless payment technology.

Current clients, holders of Citi credit cards, may apply for a free contactless payment sticker by calling the toll-free CitiPhone customer line or by visiting a Citibank branch. Should a contactless payment sticker be provided to a client who does not want to use it, the client does not need to activate the sticker, and can just destroy it. Stickers that are sent by mail are inactive and cannot be used for payments without activation.