Shopping made easier with Interac Flash

The other night I was treated to an incredible meal at Ruby WatchCo, the restaurant of Chef Lynn Crawford, by the team at Interac.  I'm already a huge fan of using Interac for the convenience of paying without cash as well as Interac e-transfers, so I was really interested in learning more about how I could "Pay in a Flash" with the new Flash technology.  

Paul and I NEVER have cash in our wallets.  We often have to borrow money from the kid's wallets when the school needs cash for a field trip (schools need to accept email transfers, don't you think?).  When we go out to run errands, even to the local DQ or convenience store after school, we take our Interac cards.  It's just the way we track our expenses in our family and ultimately how I can check up on Paul's spending!  My credit card has a "Pay Pass" contactless system, but I just don't want to spend on credit, especially for amounts under $100.  I'm really happy that this technology has now come to Interac and is now available at a few banks and retailers in Canada (Tim Hortons, McDonalds, The Beer Store, HMV, Winners to name a few).

I'm really comfortable paying online, doing Interac e-transfers and using new banking technology, but that's not the case with some members of my family who still write cheques to each other!  At the evening's event, we got to ask questions about security.  The team at Interac has really thought of everything when it comes to making sure that Flash users are protected. 

Interac Flash, the contactless enhancement of Interac^® Debit, is Canada’s first and only contactless debit payment solution. It has all the benefits of Interac Debit but allows cardholders to pay for smaller purchases, using their own money, faster than ever before by simply choosing to hold their card in front of a contactless point-of-sale reader that supports Interac Flash. 

I really love that for small purchases (under $100 and cumulative purchases up to $200), I can just FLASH and go (I can't wait to ask my grocer if I can "Flash" him)!  When I've reached my daily limit or the purchase is just over $100, I'll have to enter my PIN to complete the transaction.  I also love this as a past retailer- just think of how much faster and more efficient the check out experience could be!

Check out more about this new technology online or ask your bank about when they we will be equipped with the new Interac Flash.  

Disclosure:  I was really interested in learning about the latest in Interac technology and accepted compensation for my post.  The stories and opinions are my own.