Previously announced to cooperate with MasterCard on HCE mobile payment technology based on NFC near-field sensing, and to work together with 26 banking institutions in Taiwan, consumers can use NFC-enabled Android phones as "credit cards" to make purchases directly in the same way as regular credit cards. Taiwan Mobile Payment also announced today (12/5) that it will cooperate with Sony Mobile to enable 28 Xperia phones to support the use of Taiwan Mobile Payment's t Wallet+ mobile payment app, thereby promoting the development of Taiwan's mobile payment market.
Unlike Apple Pay, which requires a new payment channel and card reader, Taiwan Mobile Payment emphasizes that its t Wallet+ mobile payment app is compatible with existing card readers using HCE technology and can be used on a wide range of NFC-enabled Android phones. In a recent announcement, the t Wallet+ mobile payment app will be compatible with mainstream devices from HTC, Huawei, LG, Motorola, Samsung, and Sony, as well as Android devices running 5.0 and above that include NFC.
According to Taiwan Mobile Payment, 11 VISA and Mastercard credit cards issued by 330 Taiwanese banks currently support the t Wallet+ mobile payment app, with support for JCB and other credit cards and other debit cards to follow in the future. The expanded partnership with Sony Mobile primarily confirms full compatibility with the t Wallet+ mobile payment app for 28 Xperia smartphones.
As for the previous description of mobile payment in Taiwan, the t Wallet+ mobile payment app is currently mainly compatible with Android platform models and mainstream models of brands such as Sony. However, in the future, it is not ruled out that it will be connected to mobile payment services such as Apple Pay and Samsung Pay that will be launched in Taiwan soon, so that consumers can have a more convenient mobile payment experience.
Currently, Xperia series models compatible with the t Wallet+ mobile payment app include the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Z Ultra, and Xperia Z2013 launched in 1; the Xperia Z2014 Compact, Xperia Z1, Xperia T2 Ultra, Xperia M2, Xperia Z2a, Xperia T2, Xperia C3, Xperia Z3, and Xperia Z3 Compact launched in 3; and the Xperia Z2015+, Xperia C3, Xperia M4 Aqua, Xperia Z4, Xperia Z5 Premium, Xperia Z5 Compact, Xperia C5 Ultra, and Xperia M5 launched in 5.
This year's models, including the Xperia X Performance, Xperia X, Xperia XA, Xperia XA Ultra, Xperia XZ and Xperia X Compact, are all compatible with the t Wallet+ mobile payment app.
Compared to Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay, which still have to wait for banks to submit business applications and Apple, Samsung, and Google to announce their official launch in Taiwan, Taiwan Mobile Payment emphasizes that the t Wallet+ mobile payment app only needs to be downloaded and installed, and after binding credit card information, it can be used through digital encryption authorization. It is also compatible with existing credit card swiping devices.
In the future, it will be further integrated with transportation cards and other card applications
Regarding future plans, Taiwan Mobile Payments stated that it will continue to expand integration with transportation cards like EasyCard and OnePass, but considering differences in existing systems and mechanisms, this may not be implemented immediately. The same situation will also apply to the upcoming launches of mobile payment services like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay. Since these mobile payment transactions still require processing through overseas servers, they will not be included in the near-term integration plan for now.
Regarding mobile payments in Taiwan, since mobile payments such as Apple Pay still need to wait for banking and service providers to launch them, the currently promoted t Wallet+ is not only directly compatible with existing Android phones equipped with NFC, but is also compatible with existing card readers that support HCE technology. Therefore, the consumer market does not need to face more waiting and changes in usage patterns, and it can be opened for use immediately. It is expected to attract more consumer users and seize market applications before other mobile payment service providers enter the market.
