Parkex 2009 preview/ Contactless E-mail
Thursday 02 April 2009

Stand N°: P70

N.E.C. Birmingham

April 21st/23rd 2009

Parkeon first to demonstrate contactless payment cards alongside Chip & PIN in parking terminals

In a parking industry ‘first’, Parkeon will be demonstrating the use of contactless payment cards, alongside Chip & PIN transactions, with Barclaycard in Strada® payment terminals on Stand P70 at Parkex 2009. The contactless card reader enables payments to be processed in under a second, far quicker than cash or mobile phone transactions.

 
“Parking is a perfect application for contactless credit and debit card payments as they’re quick and convenient for drivers, whilst being secure and more cost-effective for operators,” said Bob Barnes, Parkeon’s UK Parking Director.
 
Contactless cards are designed to pay for goods and services of £10 or under in value, simply and securely, without the cardholder having to confirm every transaction with a PIN. The cardholder simply touches their card to the reader and the payment is made. In order to protect customers - should a card be lost or stolen – the card incorporates a ‘spot-check’ security function, which requires cardholders to confirm their ID with a Chip & PIN transaction on a regular basis. Consequently, Parkeon also fits a PCI-PED approved Chip & PIN card reader to all Strada terminals accepting contactless payments.
 
Barclaycard is leading the industry in contactless technology, with over 1.5 million contactless-enabled cards now in circulation across the UK and over 7,000 outlets enabled to accept contactless payments.
 
Stuart Blair, Barclaycard’s International New Business Manager, explains, “We are delighted to be demonstrating this contactless payment solution with Parkeon. It is only a matter of time before contactless becomes part of daily life for consumers and parking terminals are a natural use for this simple and secure technology.”
 
Parkeon terminals provide operators with a future-proof payment solution because machines equipped with a Chip & PIN device can be upgraded with a retro-fitted contactless card reader.

 

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Parkeon is a key player in global parking and transport management solutions. With a 35-year history in the sector, the company is at the forefront of innovation and has a presence in 40 countries and 3,000 cities worldwide. The company’s headquarters is in France, while it has offices across Europe (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom) and in the United States, employing over 1,100 people worldwide. Parkeon’s portfolio of products and systems is designed to ease congested streets and facilitate traffic flow. As a global leader in payment and ticketing solutions for parking and mass transit, Parkeon has played a significant role in the development of Pay & Display technology.

Formerly Schlumberger’s Parking and Ticketing division, Parkeon formed in November 2003. In June 2007, Barclays Private Equity (France) became the major shareholder in Parkeon and the company posted revenues of €155 million in 2007. Parkeon prides itself on its participatory management style – since December 2007, 30% of its employees have become shareholders in the business.

Parkeon Limited, 10 Willis Way, Poole, Dorset BH15 3SS, U.K.

Tel: 01202 339494 Fax: 01202 667293 Web: www.parkeon.com

Press Contact: Bob Barnes or David Lloyd

01628 602034

About Barclaycard

Barclaycard, part of Barclays Global and Retail Commercial Banking Division, is a leading global payment business, which helps consumers, retailers, and business to make and accept payments flexibly, and to access short-term credit when needed.

The company is one of the pioneers of new forms of payments and is at the forefront of developing viable contactless and mobile payment schemes for today and cutting edge forms of payment for the future. It also issues credit and charge cards to corporate customers and UK Government. Barclaycard partners with a wide range of organisations across the globe to offer their customers or members payment options and credit.

In addition to the UK, Barclaycard operates in the United States, Europe, Africa and the Middle and Far East.

Key facts published in February 2009:

- number of UK customers: 11.7m

- number of international customers: 11.6m

- number of retailer/merchant relationships: 89,000

 
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