Your Credit Card Has Been Transformed into a Wristband, Keyring and Stickers

PSFK by Ido Lechner

In a contactless world equipped with the Barclayscard, or bPay for short, buyers can make purchases via tapping their wristband, key ring or surface-affixed sticker on applicable reading machines. Users must register their device before wielding the power of instantaneous purchase in stores like Starbucks, David Lloyd, Pret a Manger, Mark & Spencer, among others.



By connecting bPay to a mobile device, one can seamlessly track spending with a detailed activity tracker app and connect their credit cards to multiple bank accounts.

Setup is rather painless; users must insert a chip no bigger than a phone’s SIM card into their device (only for the keyring or wristband), download the app (available on iOs and android) and then sign up by registering their email and setting a five-digit passcode.



Windows phone users can sign up via the bPay website. A maximum of £200 (roughly $220 USD) can be allotted to a bPay device, all of which support any Visa/Mastercard credit or debit card. Using multiple devices simultaneously requires separate “wallets” or subsections within the app or account, though each device is equipped with an ‘auto-top’ feature that allows devices to draw additional funds from an account once certain balance thresholds are exceeded.



Its important to note that bPay is not a be-all solution to payment, given the £20 ($22 USD) load limit at any given moment. That said, the limit is a useful implementation for parenting, offering a limit for the over-indulgent child and additional fund tracking to gauge purchases. Available on the bPay store, the wristband is priced at £25, the keyring fob at £20 and the sticker at £15. A Barclay’s bank account is not required to use the device, meaning almost anyone can use at least one of the three affordable devices.

bPay