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PayPal Unveils Carrier Partnerships & NFC Payment Capability

PayPal Unveils Carrier Partnerships & NFC Payment Capability

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Last week, PayPal upgraded its mobile app with a cleaner user interface, quick PIN login and other enhanced features. Today, the San Jose-based company announced further updates, powered by partnerships that will offer it access to Vodafone’s 454 million users and America Movil’s 286 million subscribers.

The payment company’s partnership with Vodafone enables European-based Vodafone wallet users to make NFC payments at brick-and-mortar POS locations. The combined solution is powered by partnerships with Raphaels Bank and Carta Worldwide.

This marks the first NFC payment availability for PayPal users, who can connect their PayPal account to their Vodafone wallet and pay using Visa or MasterCard credit and debit cards, as well as prepaid cards. To promote the new offering, Vodafone is rewarding users up to 1GB of bonus data each time they use PayPal to recharge their Prepaid Combo plan online.

VentureBeat cites Anuj Nayar, PayPal’s global head of product communications, who highlights the mutual benefit of the partnership, stating, “From PayPal’s point of view, Vodafone gets access to our integrated platform — in app, online, in-store, and can offer our services to their customers. PayPal will gain access to millions of users.”

Vodafone wallet, launched in 2013, is available in Germany, Spain, the U.K., Italy and the Netherlands. The PayPal integration is now available to users in Spain and will launch in the four remaining countries later this year.

Additionally, PayPal announced similar partnerships with Mexico-based Telcel and Brazil-based Claro (both America Movil subsidiaries). Starting this spring, the telcoms’ users will have the option to use their PayPal accounts to manage and make everyday purchases on their mobile devices.

NewMoneyThese partnerships are a part of PayPal’s new brand campaign titled New Money, in which the company aims to showcase how it is, “enabling a faster, simpler and more inclusive way for people to manage and move money, whether online, in-app, in store or in new contexts.”

At the end of 2015, PayPal counted 179 million active users. Dan Schulman is CEO.

Next month FinDEVr New York 2016 will feature a presentation from PayPal’s Braintree (along with 50+ other fintech companies) that will showcase new trends and tools for developers. Check it out and register today.

Braintree last presented at FinDEVr San Francisco 2015 and at FinovateSpring 2013 in San Jose.