Wells Fargo to Roll Out Mobile Payments Pilot; Visa Demonstrating Capability at CARTES 2010

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 07, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Continuing its leadership in the mobile banking space,Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) is rolling out its Visa(R) (NYSE:V) microSD mobile payment pilot. This San Francisco based pilot will include 200 Wells Fargo team members who are also users of specific BlackBerry(R) smartphones and iPhone(TM) models.

The pilot features DeviceFidelity's In2Pay(TM) technology. BlackBerry smartphone users will directly insert the In2Pay microSD card into the slot in their device, while iPhone users will receive the protective In2Pay Case for iPhone with the In2Pay microSD card.

To make payments, users simply open the Wells Fargo Mobile Banking application, select pay with phone and wave the phone in front of the contactless reader at the point of purchase. The reader will light up and beep, indicating that the payment has been received.

Wells Fargo team members participating in the pilot will be able to use their personal BlackBerry smartphone or iPhone to make payments wherever there are contactless payment readers, including fast food restaurants, taxis, sporting event concession stands and vending machines.

"Wells Fargo was the first major financial services company to pilot mobile credit and debit payments that could be used anywhere nationwide contactless readers were available," said Peter Ho, product manager for Wells Fargo Card Services and Consumer Lending. "We're proud, once again, to lead innovation in helping our customers conduct their financial transactions when, where and how they want."

The secure In2Pay microSD card will host Visa payWave, Visa's contactless payment application. Wells Fargo specifically integrated the Visa payWave functionality into its award winning Wells Fargo Mobile Banking application for this pilot. Pilot participants can choose their payment instrument with the option of loading up to one Wells Fargo Visa Credit Card and one Wells Fargo Visa Debit Card.

The In2Pay technology developed by DeviceFidelity consists of a specially designed secure memory card containing a smart card chip, an integrated software controlled antenna and flash memory for storage of user content like photos and music. The smart card chip hosts Visa's contactless application, Visa payWave, and is capable of hosting multiple accounts such as credit, debit and prepaid.

"We are proud to be providing the technology that is powering this unique pilot program at one of the most innovative banks in America," says Amitaabh Malhotra, Chief Operating Officer of DeviceFidelity. "Working with Visa and its financial institution partners, we are at the forefront of making fast progress in bringing this solution to potentially millions of consumers."

Visa mobile payments use multiple layers of security including advanced security technology to uniquely identify each contactless transaction. The technology is designed to protect against counterfeit fraud. All Wells Fargo Visa payWave transactions, including those initiated by a mobile phone, are backed by Wells Fargo's Zero Liability protection. This means that a cardholder is not liable for any unauthorized transactions made at merchants, over the phone, on the Internet or at the ATM, when promptly reported.

Visa will showcase the Wells Fargo mobile payment application at the CARTES & IDentification Conference, Stand 4J022 from Tuesday December 7 to December 9, 2010 at the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center, in Hall 4. To arrange a media pass, schedule an interview or for product information, please contact Elvira Swanson at 415-932-2564, or globalmedia@visa.com.

In October 2007, Wells Fargo became the first major financial services company in the country to offer consumer and small business customers both mobile web site (WF.com) and text-based (93557) account access via mobile devices. Today, Wells Fargo's mobile banking portfolio provides customers with more choices in how they bank, such as the Wells Fargo Mobile Banking app available on BlackBerry smartphones and the iPhone, available from wf.com.

Through Wells Fargo's Mobile Banking applications, customers can access their current available account balances, transaction history, and credit card payment information. Customers can also securely transfer funds to their other accounts or to other Wells Fargo customers and pay bills. In addition, customers can receive alerts on their mobile devices.

The Wells Fargo Mobile Banking App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone or at www.iTunes.com/AppStore.

Mobile Banking is covered by Wells Fargo's Online Security Guarantee. Visit https://www.wellsfargo.com/privacy_security/online/guarantee to learn more.

About Visa

Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world's most advanced processing networks--VisaNet--that is capable of handling more than 20,000 transactions a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank, and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: Pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.

About DeviceFidelity

DeviceFidelity, Inc. develops plug-and-play technologies that empower a variety of institutions to deploy their services and applications on millions of mobile phones worldwide. Its patent-pending In2Pay microSD and In2Pay iCaisse solution transforms popular mobile phones into an interactive contactless transaction device. Committed to bringing contactless innovation to the mobile phone, the company has numerous patents pending in both U.S. and international patent offices. DeviceFidelity is a private corporation with headquarters in Richardson, Texas and offices in San Mateo, California and New York. For more information, go to www.devicefidelity.com.

Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.2 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com and wachovia.com), and other distribution channels across North America and internationally. With more than 278,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in America. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked #19 on Fortune's 2009 rankings of America's largest corporations. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy all our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.

SOURCE: Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company
Lisa Westermann, 415-222-6236 (Media)
Lisa.b.westermann@wellsfargo.com