BARCELONA: Optus has unveiled a new watch titled as proof-of-concept watch in connection with payments company VISA which enable its customers to directly pay their payments through Chas By Optus app.
Optus Vice President of mobile marketing Ben White said the product was developed to enable more of its customers to access its cashless payments service, which was launched in November last year.
A payments terminal will recognise a tap of the Optus watch and print a receipt.
A payments terminal will recognise a tap of the Optus watch and print a receipt. Photo: Hannah Francis
Until now, only Optus customers with an NFC-enabled Android smartphone have been able to use it.
The watch syncs with the Cash By Optus app on any bluetooth-enabled smart device, bringing the service to all makes of smartphone, including iPhones and Windows Phones. It also means people with older mobile handsets that aren’t NFC-enabled can use it.
A payments terminal will recognise a tap of the watch just as it recognises a tap of a debit card via PayWave. It will print a hard-copy receipt, while the watch sends an electronic receipt back to the phone where it is stored in the app.
The app can also be displayed as a widget on the user’s phone, displaying their cash balance in real-time.
The watch includes basic smartwatch functions like calendar, message and call notifications, and basic fitness tracking such as steps taken, however it does not have a heart rate monitor.
It has a real watch face rather than a touch-screen, and has a soft rubber band that can be replaced with any band the same size.
