Progressive Enterprises expands Visa payWave options

08/31/2015

Countdown supermarkets nationwide to accept Visa payWave on Debit

AUCKLAND – From today Countdown customers will be able to pay using Visa payWave on Debit in a move by the supermarket to offer greater payment choice at the checkout.

Debit cardholders can take advantage of the speed and convenience of paying with Visa payWave at Countdown’s 179 supermarkets around the country where Visa payWave on Credit has been accepted since early 2013. 

Countdown joins a significant number of New Zealand merchants accepting Visa payWave, which has proved popular with Kiwis since its introduction in 2011 with more than six million transactions now made on Visa payWave per month in New Zealand  at more than 16,000 contactless terminals. 

Visa Head of Emerging Payments & Innovation George Lawson says acceptance of Visa payWave on Debit is part of an ongoing rollout of the technology which caters for a market demand for greater flexibility and choice in payments.

“We have seen a rapid adoption of contactless payments in New Zealand. Improving the speed with which payments can be made at busy supermarkets contributes significantly to the customer’s satisfaction with their overall shopping experience.  Contactless payments is the next step towards mobile payments, which will mean consumers will be able to pay via their mobile phone at contactless terminals.”

Visa payWave cards have an embedded antenna and microchip enabling fast and secure contactless communication with the checkout terminal. From there the transaction is processed through the same secure network used for all Visa transactions. Visa payWave transactions are also processed three times faster than cash payments.

Multiple layers of security underpin Visa payWave transactions including EMV chip technology, a short read range and Visa’s Zero Liability policy that protects cardholders from fraudulent or unauthorised transactions. 

 

Media contact: 
Bridget Lem            
021 060 6082                    
[email protected] 

About Visa
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments. We operate one of the world’s most advanced processing networks — VisaNet — that is capable of handling more than 56,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa’s innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit www.visa.co.nz. 

About Countdown
Countdown is one of New Zealand’s largest employers with more than 18,000 team members across 179 supermarkets, distribution centres, processing plants and support offices. We serve 2.7 million customers every week, and work with 1200 food producers and suppliers throughout New Zealand. We’re committed to being part of the communities we live and work in: some of our activities include the Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal has raised more than $8.2 million in the past seven years for children’s hospital wards around the country and Countdown Food Rescue donates more than $3.4 million of food each year to The Salvation Army and other food bank charity partners.  www.countdown.co.nz