A new digital wallet has launched a bid to ‘kill off’ plastic payment cards.
The ImageNPay Digital Wallet – available on Apple Pay – enables users to personalise a virtual Mastercard with bespoke images that appear in their Apple Wallet.
Customers can show their support for ditching environmentally harmful plastic cards by choosing an eye-catching image of a unicorn, with other designs include wildlife photography, football-related imagery and one supporting LGBT.
The app is the brainchild of former banking boss Michael Donald, who is on a mission to create safe and secure payment methods that are kind to the planet.
“They say that everybody is looking for a unicorn; well, with ImageNPay you can actually pay with one!” said Donald.
“Our customers can use our digital images to help turn plastic cards into dinosaurs that are extinct. We’re delighted that Mastercard has supported us to create a unique way for customers to choose an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic cards.”
There are more than 22 billion plastic payment cards worldwide, according to data published by Nilson, with around 7 billion being re-issued every year. Most of these are made from unrecyclable PVC plastic.
Customers can download the ImageNPay app and then pre-pay funds into their digital wallet. They can then choose the unicorn image to purchase goods by tapping their smartphone against payment terminals.
The unicorn design was created by highly acclaimed visual artist Yelena York to celebrate the launch of the app.
Donald, a former Chief Commercial Officer of MBNA, added: “We all pay for goods and services, so why not make it fun and collaborative. It’s time to bring fun-tech into FinTech!”
ImageNPay, based in Chester, was developed in conjunction with global payment solutions provider EPAM and is available in the Apple store or via ImageNPay.com. The ImageNPay app is expected to launch on Android later this year.
Apple Pay is accepted in grocery stores, pharmacies, taxis, restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, and many more places. Customers can also use Apple Pay on iPhone, iPad, and Mac to make faster and more convenient purchases in apps or on the web in Safari without having to create accounts or repeatedly type in shipping and billing information.