With UGO, consumers with credit cards from both Toronto-Dominion Bank and President’s Choice Financial can pay for things by tapping their smartphone on a wireless terminal at retail stores. The app also stores loyalty cards.
UGO and Suretap, a mobile wallet service with backing from a number of wireless carriers, including Rogers Communications, are working to sign up customers as the prospect of Apple Pay coming to Canada looms over the market. Apple has already expanded the mobile payments service to the UK, and is expected to introduce it in Canada this year, Meny Grauman, an analyst with Cormark Securities, said in a July 9 note to clients.
The UGO app is available on any smartphone, but only users with the Android operating system or BlackBerry devices can use it for payments. Canadian consumers with Apple’s iPhones can only use the UGO app for storing loyalty cards. UGO plans to add more credit cards and loyalty programs to the app in the coming months.
UGO doesn’t charge users, card issuers or merchants for processing payments through the app. The focus right now is to increase the number of users.
Apple Pay debuted in the US in September 2014 and in the UK in July 2015. The Wall Street Journal reported in April that Apple is planning to bring the service to Canada in November 2015.
Every day we send out a free e-mail with the most important headlines of the last 24 hours.
Subscribe now