JCB has secured an extended rollout of its JCB Contactless functionality in the UK via its partnership with FIS, with the duo agreeing to enhance their cooperation this week.
The deal specifically focuses around FIS’ merchant solutions business, Worldpay from FIS, which will enable UK customers to use the JCB Contactless offering in the largest deployment of the product to date.
This will enable more UK merchants to utilise JCB’s cardmember community of 154 million global users, which London-based JCB believes will increase sales opportunities for participating merchants.
Ray Shinzawa, Managing Director of JCB International (Europe) Ltd., said: “We are delighted to see the next stage of this ambitious project come to fruition, further reinforcing our collaboration with Worldpay. We look forward to continuing to work together in enabling JCB Contactless across the entire Worldpay POS ecosystem.”
The extended partnership now means that 20% of Worldpay’s UK Point of Sales systems can accept JCB contactless payments, in line with the latter’s ‘mid-term plan’.
JCB now hopes to extend the reach of its Contactless product across the remaining 80% of Worldpay’s terminals UK-wide, anticipating completion of a full rollout by the end of 2024.
Chris Wood, General Manager for SMB International, Worldpay Merchant Solutions, FIS added: “With our research showing consumers are switching to contactless payments, it’s crucial we provide them with the ability to pay with their preferred payment method whenever and wherever they want.
“Our collaboration with JCB will enable this, simplifying our merchants’ payments acceptance, and accelerating growth.”
The rise in popularity of contactless payments is a well-documented phenomenon in recent years, with customers looking for more convenient ways to pay, and was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Off the back of this trend, JCB has been looking to expand the reach of its contactless offering, having launched its e-payment system, Tramways, in Hong Kong earlier this year.
Nick Fisher, General Manager, UK, JCB International (Europe) Ltd, remarked: “By offering a greater variety of contactless options to their merchants, Worldpay’s merchants will benefit from an enhanced customer experience.
“The payment preferences of consumers across the region are changing rapidly, and JCB is proud to be working with leaders like Worldpay to enable the future of payments.”
