Integrated contactless system launches at Eat

Payment processing provider Commidea, merchant acquirer Barclaycard Business and Common Sense EPoS completed the integration between Eat’s existing EPoS system and Commidea’s Ocius Chip and PIN system with added contactless technology.

The system is live in one store in Moorgate and is due to be rolled out to a further 24 sites in London within the next few weeks.

Eat finance director Guy Harvey told Retail Week that the first contactless transaction occurred within half an hour of the system going live and the figure has risen each day, with 10 contactless transactions completed on Tuesday March 18.

Harvey said he was happy with the system. “Innovation and simplicity are two core values of the business and the contactless payment process plays well to this. I see it very much as the future for payment in London.”

This is the first time that Eat has implemented Chip and PIN and Harvey said it provided a good opportunity to go a step further and add the contactless functionality too. The Chip and PIN system will be rolled out to all new Eat sites in the country and the contactless card reader can be added when there is adequate demand outside London.

Commidea head of sales and marketing Giles Cooper explained that with the integration work done already, it will be able to offer integrated contactless payment to its other existing Chip and PIN merchants. He said: “Commidea is working with other retailers in the UK to launch additional integrated contactless payment solutions in the coming weeks.”

Barclaycard Business head of contactless James McDonald added that he expects at least two more retailers to go live with contactless payment within the first half of the year.