back to article NatWest seeks volunteers to bonk with their iPhones

NatWest is asking volunteers to test its pay-by-bonk service on their iPhones, and is looking for 1,000 of its customers willing to wrap their iPhone in an iCarte case with embedded NFC. The trial was slipped quietly out on NatWest website, and spotted by NFC World. The iCarte case has been knocking around since 2009, and has …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    One word:

    Do one.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: One word:

      Three words:

      Learn to count

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    ah ha...

    The rumoured new payment system that the rumoured batch scheduler changes were urgently needed for....

  3. Benjamin 4

    This is kind of pointless to get at the moment. No-where I go to can take NFC payments yet. Heck some companies I use still only take cheque and cash!

    1. Timmay

      Someone has to take the lead - without people able to pay for things contactless, shops aren't going to bother signing up for new terminals.

      Therefore, good on NatWest for taking the lead!

      1. Benjamin 4

        I know, I'm not saying it shouldn't be done, I'm just saying I don't see a point in it yet for me personally, since I would never have an opportunity to use it.

      2. Super Fast Jellyfish

        or could come second...

        I think the Barclaycard Paytag has been around for a bit longer and isn't limited to fit one type of phone. They even got the Hoff in on the act when it was launched...

    2. toppoff
      Happy

      Gregs and McDonalds accept contactless payments.

      Even better is if you can Google Wallet working on ur NFC enabled Android phone, then Google give you $10 (yes USD) free credit. Enough for a meal on them. Should have seen the look on the guy's face when I waved my phone over the paypoint......

  4. Roger Greenwood
    Stop

    Fraud?

    "assuming one can demonstrate to the bank's satisfaction that fraud has been committed"

    Banks are hard to satisfy, but I can prove that the contactless payment was not my fault - I don't do contactless. Waiting for version 2 or 3.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Fraud?

      You don't have to demonstrate to the bank's satisfaction that fraud has taken place, they have to demonstrate that fraud hasn't taken place (or at least that the customer is the one committing the fraud). It's been written into law for quite some time now.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Natwest should do some research

    Natwest apparently has not heard that there are no iphones with NFC at present while there are several Android models already equipped and in use. Figures released a while ago showed that the majority of UK smartphone uses have android phones, and globally more than a million are being registered every day.

    Can people please stop this ignorant iphone fetish and wake up to reality !

    1. david bates

      Re: Natwest should do some research

      Interestingly I've just moved over to FirstDirect (NFC on the card, cannot disable it, but thats another gripe...). The chap I was speaking to told me they only had an iPhone app, but consensus was that they had missed a trick not getting an Android one together - one is on the way.

      Mind you, the chances of me using an app on my phone to do my banking? Nil.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Natwest should do some research

      It's the iCarte CASE made for iPhones that provides the NFC, not the iPhone; Buying one case type (iPhone 4/4S) also keeps trial costs down.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Natwest should do some research

        Buying no cases keeps the cost down even further, hence using phones with it already built in

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Natwest should do some research

          I think a certain bank is sending out letters telling it's customers it's trial is being done with NCF stickers. So they can be used on any phone.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Natwest should do some research

            @ TechnicalBen

            Ah yes, Near Communications Field stickers. :p

  6. Timmay

    iPhones

    Yes, a slightly "down with iPhone/Apple/etc" post here, but why go to the hassle and expense of paying to supply cases which users don't want to have to use, and are going to be useless in x months time anyway, when you could just use one of the NFC-equipped phones already on the market? Like, oh I dunno, the Galaxy S3?

    The problem with tech like paying by NFC, is it's only geeky early adopters who are likely to (dare) use it at first (people like me), and geeky people like me don't tend to buy Playmobil "it just works" type phones like the iPhone, and even if we did, we don't want to have to use some crappy case just to pay using it. We want more open and bleeding-edge features, like those found on the Galaxy S3.

    Before I get downvoted, I'm not overly knocking the iPhone - it's a fine phone for those who don't mind the closed locked down nature, and the (comparatively) small screen, I just get annoyed by it always being the default go-to device for things like this.

    1. Gordon 10
      Stop

      Re: iPhones

      Errr - did it occur to you that because of the sheer size of the installed userbase even the geeks with iphones (who are willing to play with NFC) out number the geeks of any other single phone model regardless of anything else. Can you name any other single phone (or pair of phones) that comes close to the installed user base of the iphone.

      (Actually I can) - probably any 2 newish models of the BB but can you really see hoodies or corporates using pay by bonk (with their own money.)

      Although I think BB are missing a trick here. A NFC partnership with Amex would almost immediately allow them to regain their relevance in the corporate world - especially if it went one stage further and allowed pay by PIN for > £20.

      1. Timmay

        Re: iPhones

        If we're comparing apples with apples, and you want single phone models only, then stop talking about ALL the iPhones sold ever - just iPhone 4 (or perhaps 4S too, as this works with that). The Galaxy S3 is currently the top selling phone, even outselling iPhones (yes, I'm sure that'll change when iPhone 5 or whatever comes along, but that's ANOTHER model).

        Agree with you on the BB thing though.

  7. Dan 55 Silver badge
    Boffin

    Memo to Natwest/RBS/Ulster management

    Here's the right order to test things...

    1. The processes which pay into your customers accounts work so the customer has some money in the first place.

    2. Transactions can be charged to your customers accounts once there's money in them.

    3. NFC and non-essential fluff like that. It helps if the phone in question chosen to test NFC with has NFC in the first place otherwise the success rate will be extremely low.

    Thank you.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Memo to Natwest/RBS/Ulster management

      ...I'd like to add

      4. Fix your online banking App.....

      If anyone else uses it (on iOS), check your Crash Reporter logs - it crashes (silently, no clue given to user) A LOT....

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Memo to Natwest/RBS/Ulster management

      Yes, quite right, a company with thousands of IT staff should stop all project work and get people who are in no way skilled in a particular system to fix it at the expense of all their other work. Also, all retrospective work carried out on a project should be binned off, until any problems in the organisation have been fixed, then they can start the project work again.

      Also, more people own the phone model in question than any other single phone with NFC or not. The bank have a good understanding of iPhone, so there is less of a learning curve associated with it. Seems pretty sensible to me.

      1. Dan 55 Silver badge
        Boffin

        Re: Memo to Natwest/RBS/Ulster management

        Does the word 'dependencies' ring any bells?

        Let's not announce silly fluff while people are still annoyed by their bank accounts recently melting down, it doesn't make for good PR. Any geek interested enough in NFC also probably understands the implications that the meltdown had/is having and has probably already closed their current account down or is running another current account in parallel and is transferring everything as quick as they can. Today's news is that some customers are being charged twice on loans and mortgages.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Memo to Natwest/RBS/Ulster management

          @Dan 55 - Yep, I've got a pretty good understanding of dependencies and I guarantee you 100% that the working on an iPhone project has not a single interdependence with the upkeep of a mainframe hosted enterprise scheduling system. I also very much doubt that the vast majority of "geeks" have the slightest understanding of the systems run in an environment such as RBS, although many think they do. Yes some will be closing their accounts, but they're not exactly the target for a trial like this, are they? What with not being customers of the bank.

          There is no point in stopping all the project work because an production system has gone down, this is why projects and support are separated.

          1. Dan 55 Silver badge
            Stop

            Re: Memo to Natwest/RBS/Ulster management

            I guarantee you 100% that for the end customer's perspective on the end of this almighty fuckup, these are indeed dependencies.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    'assuming one can demonstrate to the bank's satisfaction that fraud has been committed'

    Sorry, just have to laugh at the thought of post-Libor RBS being fit to arbitrate on whether fraud has taken place.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: 'assuming one can demonstrate to the bank's satisfaction that fraud has been committed'

      They don't, the regulator does.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    I am reading this story right, aren't I?

  10. Pet Peeve
    Coat

    Bonk?

    I seem to remember the word "bonk" getting weird looks in the UK when I used it after hitting my head on something in the Underground, and gathered it was approximately equivalent to how we use "screw" in the US.

    So, the ad is basically saying, "bring your phone to our bank and get screwed", right?

    1. JimmyPage Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      Re: Bonk?

      you are 100% spot on. But you need to understand that we Brits thrive on innuendo. Your weekend project will be to watch a series of "Carry on ..." films, or failing that, a few issues of "Finbar Saunders" from Viz.

    2. auburnman
      Headmaster

      Re: Bonk?

      Yeah it has multiple meanings. It can mean bump, but it can also mean bump uglies. Also you may have gotten some stares for combining British slang with an American accent - it sounds subtly wrong in a way that draws attention. Or is it just me that thinks they don't mix well?

    3. YouStupidBoy
      Happy

      Re: Bonk?

      Either that, or Officer Crabtree from 'Allo 'Allo is their new marketing wiz.

      "I was breezing the internots and on this Nitwest site they offered a great bonking experience."

    4. Anonymous Coward 15

      Re: Bonk?

      Oh, we use "screw" over here too.

  11. JimmyPage Silver badge
    FAIL

    Catching up with Barclaycard ?

    my Barclaycard is NFC enabled. And to encourage me to spend more through it (I use it for expenses) they kindly sent me a mini stick-on NFC card for my phone.

    Which I stuck on the *inside*, where it can't be seen.

  12. KrisM
    Happy

    using NFC (on my barclaycard) has been very successful

    Used it once in a Mcdonalds drive-through, and won 2 tickets to 2 events, with hotel, to the the big sporting event happening in London later this month!

    I'm a bit supporter of NFC

    Now if Natwest could just sort out a trial for my NFC equipped Android phone please, for my debit card...

    smiley face just because :)

  13. h3

    Really crap title. (Not even funny).

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