A Holistic NFC Pilot in France

Near Field Communication (NFC) technology generated significant excitement in the early 2010s, particularly as mobile payments began to emerge. While much of the focus in the United States centered on using NFC-enabled smartphones for retail payments, other regions explored broader applications. A pilot program in Bordeaux, France, demonstrated how NFC could support a wide range of everyday activities, from transportation and public services to cultural engagement and prepaid payments, offering an early glimpse into a more connected digital lifestyle.

All the US focus on NFC has been on smartphones, marketing, and payments. The French (in this case the city of Bordeaux) are taking a more civilized, holistic, less frenetic approach to the new technology. They want to make it easier to rent skates and get people under 25 years of age into cultural activities. NFC tags can be used to push information to a handset about a particular building, painting, sculpture, as well as that fancy raincoat on the rack. And, not all NFC activities take a smartphone to work. The pilot program (with 300 users) is slated to take six months, and given the participating organizations, you could have a very pleasant day with your NFC-equipped phone and without your wallet in Bordeaux.

The new trial will last for six months and will involve 300 volunteers who will be provided free of charge with a contactless card, a contactless USB key or a Samsung Tocco Lite NFC phone. The services available will depend on the type of device issued to a particular participant so that:

• All participants will be able to make payments using a Moneo-branded prepaid account, access and make payments at local swimming pools and at the skating rink and will be able to access special offers available to those aged under 25.

• Those issued with a contactless card will also be able to pay for parking, school meals and childcare and will be able to use their card to access library services. This function will also be available to USB key holders in a second phase.

• Participants issued with a contactless card will be able to top up their prepaid account via the internet using a contactless reader attached to their PC. Contactless USB key holders will also be able to top up their account via the internet while NFC phone users will be able to top up directly from their mobile phone.

• NFC phone users will also be able to view their account details on their handset.

The Bordeaux NFC pilot highlighted the technology’s potential beyond simple payment transactions. By combining access control, prepaid payments, public services, and cultural experiences into a single contactless ecosystem, the initiative illustrated how NFC could improve convenience across daily life. While many of these concepts have since evolved into mobile wallets and digital identity platforms, the pilot serves as an early example of how contactless technology can create seamless experiences that extend far beyond the point of sale.

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