Merchant Link, a leading provider of payment gateway and data security solutions, announced the release of its Apple Pay contactless payment solutions for MICROS integrated point-of-sale systems.

Merchant Link has provided contactless solutions, like Apple Pay, to its merchants for years with many processors. Merchant Link recently completed end-to-end testing and transaction processing of Apple Pay payments, securely, on the MICROS RES 3700, Simphony, and 9700 Restaurant integrated point-of-sale systems. The solutions are available for point-of-sale systems that have been certified by Merchant Link for contactless. The Apple Pay contactless solutions use both Verifone and ViVOtech hardware devices.

“Contactless payments are not new, however until the release of Apple Pay we had not seen a high demand for this,” says Laura Kirby-Meck, executive vice president sales and marketing, Merchant Link. “Most of our current contactless deployments are in ballparks and quick service restaurants where speed is essential. Apple added extra layers of security with additional tokens and thumbprint verification, and their customers appear to be eager to enroll in the service. 

“Having the ability to anticipate the market needs and demand for solutions is part of our overall business strategy. We work closely with our VAR partners and our merchants to understand and provide what is important to them and their customers.”

Contactless payment solutions continue to grow in demand as NFC-enabled mobile devices, including phones, watches, and tablets begin to permeate the market. While skeptics continue to debate the validity of contactless as a truly viable payment method, companies like Apple evolve and release solutions that take advantage of the ubiquity of the smartphone.

“Many of our customers have been accepting contactless payments for a while,” says Geoff Krieg, vice president of strategic alliances. “The launch of Apple Pay has created a new demand for contactless acceptance that ensures NFC’s place in the mobile payments ecosystem. We are excited to support merchants that want to accept Apple Pay, and any VAR/iPOS partner that has certified to Merchant Link’s contactless specifications will be able to process this new payment type.”

Merchant Link continues to drive its products, services, and solutions to meet merchant, consumer, and partner needs. The company recently expanded its security suite to include mobile solutions with the announcement of its alliance with Mocapay. This week’s announcement of successful Apple Pay contactless payments continues to show them as an industry leader.