The Barcelona 'Tap and Go' project will strengthen the city's brand as a that of technological innovation. Moreover, this initiative is fully aligned with the strategic projects outlined by the Mobile World Capital Barcelona for the 2012-2018 period.

"la Caixa”, a financial entity leader in electronic banking, with more than 10.5 million issued cards, is fully committed to contactless payment technology. Either with card or with a mobile phone, contactless payments are especially useful for small purchases. The use of electronic payment in micropayments brings multiple advantages for the customer, mainly related to comfort, speed and security. For the trader, the payment of small amounts via contactless is also interesting, particularly in establishments with great influx of public: supermarkets, restaurants, kiosks, cafes, petrol stations, touristic shops, etc.Moreover, "la Caixa" has been the first bank in the world to install contactless-ready ATMs both through cards and smart phones, offering considerable advantages to customers in terms of accessibility and of ease-of-use.

During 2012, the payment through NFC cards is expected to spread in other key value-added areas such as municipal markets, taxis, museums, sport centres or the Zoo. In 2013, NFC payments will start in a number of services and NFC payment through smartphones will be introduced. The infrastructure required will be the same and will have been already deployed and will be available as soon as operators begin to commercialize NFC-ready handsets.The work plan also identifies a series of high added-value proposal focused on the citizen as transports, green area parking or underground parking lots.

Barcelona promotes the 'Tap and Go' project involving the different agents, public and private, that are committed to this technology and manage many different services. The City Hall will also foster the creation of new initiatives included in the project, the awareness on this system's great potential from Barcelona and will apply contactless technologies in every possible municipal area. All with the aim to make the public services more efficient.

Telefonica has developed the Movistar wallet that allows the user to manage all its cards from a handset in simple and intuitive way, guaranteeing an experience of optimal use. On the other hand, it supplies NFC, including the management of the lifecycle of the cards (emission, activation, utilization) of a remote form or the installation and maintenance of the reading devices, and the design of complete solutions for the launching of services in companies and administrations.

The use of NFC technology allows user to purchase goods and services in a comfortable and easy way, instant knowledge of all operations carried out, and fast credit card renewing services. Shortly customers will be able to manage every purchase through a Movistar wallet.

Indra. NFC Technology.

Indra, one of the leading ICT companies in Europe and of Latin America has had an active participation in the deployment of NFC technology in Barcelona. Indra will bring its experience and leadership in the development of mobile applications, the integration of information systems and its knowledge to incorporate this technology NFC into different areas like the mobility".

NFC smart phones, in the near future

The main manufacturers of mobile phones believe that production and commercialization of NFC-ready handsets will begin in the second half of 2012; and according to experts, in 2014 one out of every six users will have NFC-ready handsets. That same year over 300 million NFC-ready smart phones will be operational worldwide, reaching a 50% of the total handsets in 2015.

Barcelona, 28th of February of 2012

How does it work?

Where can I access it from?

The complete updated list of access points can be found on the Barcelona Contactless map.

Any equipment, point of service, point of information, commercial or tourist establishment... whether public or private, within the city of Barcelona, ​​may be a candidate as a Barcelona Contactless access point.

How can I identify the Barcelona Contactless hotspot in a municipal amenity?

Both equipment and/or services forming part of Barcelona Contactless are identified by a common symbology presented in different formats and media to suit the characteristics and plurality of each space.

Which IT devices can I use to connect?

To access Barcelona Contactless you must have a device connected to the Internet. Currently there are two access ways: through the NFC (Near Field Communications) or QR (Quick Responsive Code) technologies. In any case it is necessary some kind of authentication.

Requirements devices:

·For the first case (NFC), it is necessary to have a device that can read NFC tags, which automatically connects to the Barcelona Contactless web-mobile.

·For the second case (QR), it is necessary to have an application that can scan QR codes. After the reading, the device connects to the Barcelona Contactless web-mobile.

·The device must have a common web browser (Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Safari, etc.).

What can I consult?

Barcelona Contactless offers local information services regarding the concrete location and time the user accesses the platform. Depending on the item, one can visualise information on the equipment/service itself, information from other facilities/services nearby, and related agenda, download related mobile applications (apps), to look up cross-check events in the city, among others.

Keep in mind that the information and images come directly from the databases of their owners and/or managers, so the Barcelona City Council is not responsible for the accuracy of this information that may come from third parties.