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Use Your Citibank Credit Card Through Your Mobile Phone in Bangalore

Using your mobile phone to go shopping may have been a fantasy before but not anymore. Citibank has launched for the first time in Indian credit card usage via mobile phone as a pilot project in Bangalore.  It will be a new shopping experience. Citibank claims that it is more safer to have mobile credit card as it will be always with you and to process a transaction one will have to key in a 4 digit pin number. Unlike plastic credit cards if stolen anyone can use it. Not sure why the credit cards companies do not introduce a pin number on all credit cards like on many debit cards like SBI, Citibank etc.

After using mobile credit card at a shop establishment, one still may have to sign the machine generated receipts.  The project is a five way collaboration between Citibank, Mastercard, Vivotech, Nokia and Vodafone. This is just a pilot project for 3 -6 months and depending on the response Citibank will deceide what may be the fees.

Now let me discuss the technicalities. I have received an invitation from Citibank with an kit to sign up for Citibank Tap and Pay. To sign up for this service SMS “TAP” to 52484. Following this Citibank will enable you for Citi Tap and Pay service and send a welcome letter. You will have to take this welcome letter and visit any of the select Nokia outlets mentioned in the letter to purchase a Nokia 6212 mobile phone at a special price of Rs 5000. Citibank claims that its market price is 11,639. But the phone look is not good and do not stand to be Rs 11,639. Almost, most same configuration phones are available for Rs 5000 – 6000. Now you will have to download an instance of your credit card on the phone using GPRS connection. Once done, you can set a password and you are ready to use TAP and PAY.

Citibank has also announced if there is 6 transactions before 31st October, 2009 you can get a cashback of 2500. If there is 12 transactions within the same period, then you can get Rs 5000 cashback. As of the now the service is available at Nilgiri’s, Shopper’s Stop, Landmark and Subway.