MasterCard® PayPass™
Around the World
From the desk of the Global PayPass Product Manager
3Q2008

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First Maestro® PayPass™ Experience for Netherlands Consumers at V&D La Place™

Demonstration Highlights Hallmark Speed and Convenience

On 18 and 19 June, 1,000 customers of V&D La Place™ in The Hague got their pizza and coke in a split second when the Maestro® PayPass™ solution was demonstrated for the first time in a Dutch store. During the two days, MasterCard and V&D La Place collected data on customer experiences at the checkout counter with Maestro PayPass in a retail environment.

Maestro PayPass, a payment innovation developed by MasterCard for contactless payments, is especially designed for small purchases. Using Maestro PayPass, consumers can just tap their card against a payment terminal to make a purchase. For purchases up to €25, no PIN code is required. This way, checkout waiting times can be reduced by an average of 40%. What’s more, PayPass cardholders tend to use their card more often (with an increased transaction frequency of 26% per account, based on a survey) and tend to spend more (with an increased overall usage of 27% per account, based on a survey). Also, with the Maestro PayPass card, purchases are withdrawn from the cardholder debit accounts.

“In The Hague, we follow a series of international PayPass pilots and programs, including those in other European countries, typically at retail locations where speed at the checkout counter is key,” says Marcel Roelants, general manager, Benelux Region, MasterCard Europe. “This is just a first step. In the future, the option of Tap & Go™ will make it much easier to pay for your daily shopping at the supermarket or for a lunch with your friends. What’s more, it will help to displace expensive cash as the current payment method for low-value transactions.”

Robert Pastoor, store manager of the V&D department store in The Hague, says, “We are happy to host our customers’ acquaintance with this payment innovation. As a retailer, if you have the opportunity to cut back queues at checkout counters, you have to do it. Waiting times are an important aspect of customer experience. At places where there are peak times, such as lunchtime in the La Place restaurant, Maestro PayPass can help us to cater to our customers faster. And if more people pay with plastic for small purchases, we need to have less cash in the store, which benefits safety.”