According to MasterCard market research, Canadians are extremely ready and willing to engage in mobile payments, due to a very advanced infrastructure at the point of sale (POS), combined with a high penetration of mobile phone subscriptions. Canadian consumers have embraced contactless technology. In fact, nearly 20 percent of all "face-to-face" MasterCard transactions are processed as a PayPass transaction.

Mobile payments are all about convenience and speed. For the consumer, that means no cash or cards are required. The Rogers Prepaid MasterCard can be reloaded any time, at the consumer's convenience, or via auto top-up. Paying for a purchase at a merchant location is faster than any physical card transaction and only requires tapping on a point-of-sale terminal. Up-to-date balance information is available immediately after each purchase.

The Rogers Prepaid MasterCard is available to Rogers consumers using the suretap wallet on select Android and BlackBerry 10 smartphones that include Near-Field-Communications (NFC) capabilities. The card is issued through the suretap wallet and can be activated within minutes. The prepaid card is reloadable at the consumer's convenience and can be used for purchases at retailers across Canada that accept contactless payments. The contactless mobile payments technology behind the prepaid card is based on global standards and proven NFC technology, which is fast, safe and secure.

"We're pleased to partner with Peoples Trust on this initiative, as we see it as a great step forward in providing relevant payment solutions for on-the-go consumers," said Karen Budahazy, General Manager of Canada, InComm. "With the majority of Canadians now using smartphones, suretap wallet will be a welcomed addition to the retail industry and will provide both our retail partners and prepaid card partners opportunities to participate in a secure mobile payments system to enable consumers to take full advantage of all the capabilities offered by today's smartphones."

"We're thrilled to be at the forefront of offering a nationwide mobile payments product to the general public," said John Pals, COO at Peoples Card Services. "Enabling Rogers as the first mobile provider in Canada to issue a MasterCard prepaid card via the suretap wallet is a major milestone for us."

The Rogers Prepaid MasterCard is available to Rogers customers as of today, regardless of their banking relationship, and can be redeemed anywhere contactless payments are accepted.