NFC

Thanks to this technology, it is possible to make payments by passing an NFC-chip-equipped phone past a scanner. NFC can also be used as a ticketing system to grant access to amusement parks, for instance. In Japan, NFC has long been used to pay for train tickets, for instance.

NFC is a smart form of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). Whereas RFID is primarily about storing and sending information in one direction, NFC communicates in two directions and is capable of processing received signals itself. The technology was developed by Philips in collaboration with Sony and Nokia.

In the Netherlands, the NFC technology is used by Rabobank, among others, as a ticketing system. Rabo Mobiel customers who have purchased an admission ticket to Blijdorp Zoo via the Internet can now simply walk through using NFC. Once in Blijdorp, they can read interesting information on their mobile at any NFC contact point. Rabobank is also working on getting NFC used as a payment method. In 2008, for instance, it concluded another successful test at the Febo. Here, users could easily pull a croquette out of the wall thanks to their NFC-equipped mobile phone without having to look for change. Similar tests are also running at C1000 in Molenaarsgraaf and at some Coca Cola vending machines. Earlier, NFC was successfully applied at the Roda JC stadium where it replaced the season ticket.