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Tokyo, July 20 2004 - JCB, the international
payment brand, AEON Credit Service, the
retail-affiliated credit card company,
and NTT DoCoMo jointly announced today
that JCB and AEON have developed the QUICPay payment
solution for cards with contactless IC
chips. The QUICPay service is also compatible
with NTT DoCoMo's smart-card handsets,
which are capable of using i-mode® FeliCa® mobile
wallet service. A trial project for the
new QUICPay solution will begin this autumn.
QUICPay ("Quick and Useful IC Payment")
offers simple and speedy offline payment
service. By simply applying for this service,
part of the customer's existing credit
limit is assigned to a specific contactless
IC chip, which may be embedded in a plastic
card, or incorporated in the customer's
i-mode FeliCa service compatible mobile
phone.
As the QUICPay amount is billed to the
customer's existing credit card, the new
application lets customers continue to
enjoy their credit card loyalty point and
mileage benefits. While users of prepaid
cards must track the remaining value and
take the time to reload it with cash, with
QUICPay, they can increase the credit line
amount during a payment transaction at
any service supported store.
QUICPay's most prominent advantage is
the significant reduction of throughput
speed compared to the conventional cash
payment, as transaction times of less than
one second are standard for offline processing
and no signature is needed. Consequently,
QUICPay is better suited for specific merchants
such as supermarkets and convenience stores
alike where promptness is appreciated.
"JCB's goal is to increase user-friendliness
and at the same time maintain healthy growth
in the credit industry. We believe that
QUICPay benefits not only consumers, but
merchants and card companies as well," said
Atsushi Gondo Executive Officer at JCB. "And
even more exciting is the added entertainment
value for customers who use QUICPay with
their mobile phone - the visual and communication
elements make this payment system fun as
well as user-friendly."
In the future JCB and AEON plan to invite
other credit card companies to participate
in QUICPay in cooperation with NTT DoCoMo's
i-mode FeliCa Service.
JCB was an early leader in the implementation
of contactless payment systems, starting
with a system for the Megaweb theme park
in Odaiba offering visitors the choice
of prepay or postpay by JCB card, while
recent innovations have included participation
in the preview of the i-mode FeliCa Service
in March 2003, the e-METI JCB Business
Card for employee purchases at METI canteens,
and technological advances such as the
DualPlus interface providing
contact and contactless interface to a
single chip. Contactless postpayment is
also an integral part of JCB's Offica
and Mobile Offica multifunction corporate
solutions, currently in use by 10 companies
within Japan.
AEON has been actively conducting a trial
service for the business solution using
contactless IC technology from February
2002 on their company site in Tokyo. The
trial has been based around a multifunctional
hybrid smart card, which can be used as
a credit card, identification card, and
prepaid card bearing contactless eletronic
money "AEON Cash", where value
can be reloaded from the credit card.
NTT DoCoMo's i-mode FeliCa service and
the compatible handsets can be used for
a variety of unprecedented
functions, including rail pass, debit card
(electronic money), credit card and personal
identification card, applications previously
possible only with IC-equipped cards.
The service and the handsets are among
the latest examples of how NTT DoCoMo is
expanding the scope of wireless culture,
turning i-mode mobile phones into multifunctional
tools for everyday life.
About AEON Credit Service Co., Ltd.
AEON
Credit Service Co., Ltd. ("AEON Credit")
is one of the leading credit card companies
in Asia and is listed on the first section
of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. (8570) By-issuing
AEON Card and strategically co-branded
credit cards such as the TOYS"R"US
Card, it has built up a base of 12.1 million
cardholders as of FY 2003. AEON Credit
has grown rapidly since it first set up
operations in Hong Kong in 1987, then later
expanding into Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan
and Shenzhen, China. The subsidiaries in
Hong Kong (900) and Thailand (AEONTS) have
grown to the extent of listing their shares
on local exchanges. For more information,
please visit at: http://www.aeoncredit.co.jp/aeon/eng/.
About NTT DoCoMo, Inc
NTT
DoCoMo is the world's leading mobile communications
company, serving more than 48 million customers.
The company offers a wide variety of leading-edge
mobile multimedia services, including i-mode®,
which provides e-mail and internet access
to over 41 million subscribers as the world's
most popular mobile internet service, and
FOMA®, launched in 2001 as
the world's first 3G mobile service based
on W-CDMA. In addition to wholly owned
subsidiaries in Europe and North America,
the company is expanding its global reach
through strategic alliances with mobile
and multimedia service providers in Asia-Pacific,
Europe and North America. NTT DoCoMo is
listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM),
and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. For
more information, visit www.nttdocomo.com.
i-mode and FOMA are trademarks
or registered trademarks of NTT DoCoMo,
Inc. in Japan and other countries.
NTT DoCoMo's FOMA service is available
only to subscribers in Japan.
FeliCa is a registered trademark of Sony
Corporation.
About JCB Co., Ltd.
JCB is an international credit card brand
and the largest card issuer and acquirer
in Japan. JCB launched its card business
in Japan in 1961 and began expanding
overseas in 1981. Its merchant network
includes 11.7 million merchants and spans
189 countries and territories. JCB cards
are now issued in 18 countries and territories,
with 51.6 million cardmembers. As part
of its international growth strategy,
JCB has formed alliances with more than
320 leading banks and financial institutions
globally to increase merchant coverage
and cardmember base.
JCB's corporate philosophy of "Service
from the heart", a commitment to responsive
and high-quality service, continues to
guide it as it creates the future together
with its customers, merchants and partners.
For further information, please visit the
JCB Co. Ltd. home page at:
www.jcb-global.com/english or www.jcbinternational.com.

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