The Subway restaurant chain announced that it will launch NFC-based mobile payments nationwide in the U.S. on October 1st with Softcard, the mobile commerce joint venture created by AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless.
Softcard users can use their mobile phones to experience a new way to pay and save at more than 26,000 Subway locations in the United States. This is one of the largest deployments of mobile payment capability in the country.
Softcard and the Subway brand are also teaming up to deliver offers to customers via the Softcard app. As part of this promotion, Softcard users that tap and pay at a Subway restaurant will receive $1 back on every purchase over $1 made with the American Express Serve card through year-end.
This national launch is the extension of a relationship that began in 2013 and included a successful pilot in Salt Lake City earlier this year. The relationship will continue beyond today’s announcement to include the Subway loyalty program.
“Softcard has proven to be a valuable partner to us and we are proud to extend our relationship with them,” said Carman Wenkoff, Chief Information Officer, for the Subway chain. “As we’ve worked together to implement and pilot this technology, we’ve been impressed with the Softcard team and opportunities available through the Softcard platform. By embracing mobile payments and loyalty with Softcard’s SmartTap technology, we’re making it easier for customers to enjoy smart choices on the go.”
In the coming months, Subway will include the Subway Card Rewards Program in the Softcard app, providing customers in participating Subway Rewards markets with a simpler way to collect Reward Points. Cardholders who load their Subway rewards card into the Softcard app will be able to simply tap their phones to the reader using SmartTap for fast and convenient presentation to the point of sale. SmartTap is a Softcard developed protocol that adds commerce data to an NFC transaction leveraging industry standard NFC technology to deliver loyalty and offers to retailer’s point of sales systems.
Quick-service restaurants (QSR) are quickly adopting mobile payment technology as consumers show increasing interest in using their mobile devices for an easier way to pay. The National Restaurant Association reports four in 10 young adults say they would likely pay for their quick-service restaurant orders by mobile or wireless device if they could.
“Subway is a leader in the quick-service restaurant industry and has placed itself at the forefront of mobile payments with today’s announcement,” said Michael Abbott, chief executive officer, Softcard. “We’re thrilled to have a great partner in Subway; and we look forward to providing their customers with a simpler, quicker way to pay.”
Softcard is a mobile commerce platform that combines payments, offers and loyalty to provide users a safe and easy way to shop, pay and save using their mobile phones. The app uses NFC, SmartTap and other industry leading technologies to enable secure payments and commerce at more than 200,000 locations nationwide. Softcard is available on more than 80 devices across AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless and is preloaded on more than 30 of those devices with more being added all the time.
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