Contactless payment platforms such as Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, and Android Pay, have been making giant strides over the last couple of years and they have proven to be as secure as advertised. Now, you find these payment systems in banks and shopping centers. In 2015, the U.S. Fiscal Service’s e-commerce initiative took a bold step by bringing PayPal to federal agencies and now, it has even taken it further.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Fiscal Service announced that government fees can now be paid using contactless methods like Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, and Android Pay at “select government sites”. For now, the accepted sites are National Parks and U.S. military commissaries but we expect more sites to be compatible with this payment method soon.
Christina Cox, deputy assistant commissioner for revenue collections management for Fiscal Service, said in a statement:
“Contactless payments provide the public another convenient, simple, and secure payment method in our suite of electronic payment options”
For about two years now, many federal agencies accept contactless payments at stationary terminals that use near-field communication technology through their card acquiring service, but now, contactless payments can also be made using the agency’s Mobile Program — a mobile point-of-sale app. With the growth of the Mobile Program, more federal government outlets will be able to accept this payment system.
A spokesperson told FedScoop in an email that:
“For the Fiscal Service, contactless payments are just another way to promote a mission to transform financial management, promote efficiency, and deliver exceptional revenue collections services for the Federal government and the public”
