With the current situation demanding we minimize contact between each other in social situations, new contactless payment options are popping up everywhere.
Among them is Purewrist, a wearable bracelet that lets you load it up, then pay with a tap.
It’s available now in the US but the company has plans to expand their germ-free payment bracelet in more territories, starting with the second half of 2021.
A more convenient way to pay and a better way to keep track of your kid’s allowance?
Purewrist says it can offer these benefits, so let’s see what Suresh Palliparambil, the CEO of Purewrist, has to say.
We asked him what makes Purewrist different, how it can be used and what measures his company adopted to secure your future transactions.
How does Purewrist work and what makes it different from other contactless payment methods?
The Purewrist Go bracelet comes with a pre-loaded prepaid Mastercard card that has been miniaturized to fit in the bracelet.
Just ‘Tap and Pay’ at merchants and transit agencies with NFC-enabled contactless readers. Some examples where Purewrist GO is accepted are MTA subways and buses in New York, Starbucks, Whole Foods, Safeway, McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, In n Out Burger, most retailers and Mom & Pop stores. All you need is a wave of your wrist.
Purewrist Go comes with a companion app, iOS and Android that allows consumers to see transaction history and available balance.
Consumers also have the ability to link their bank account, credit or debit card to fund their prepaid Mastercard account, the reloads can be automated when balance hits a certain threshold.
The app also allows consumers to send and receive funds from others who are on the Purewrist app.
This product is excellent for teenagers, parents love the fact that this is a safe and trendy product for their kids. Parents are able to monitor where kids spend their allowance and have the ability to block the card if the bracelet is lost. Funds from the first bracelet will be transferred to the new bracelet.
At just $25, Purewrist GO is making contactless payments more accessible when compared to the pricey alternatives such as an Apple Watch or Fit Bit.
The convenience of the band allows users to avoid using their smartphone or card for payments as well, keeping them germ-free.
Can you use multiple Purewrist bracelets connected to a single card, so that multiple family members can access the same account?
At this time, each bracelet you purchase comes with ONE card.
Parents can buy bracelets for their kids and transfer funds from their bracelet account.
You don’t have to attach each bracelet individually to a bank account, you can simply transfer money from the parent bracelet to the teenager’s bracelet through the app.
This transfer can be one-time, or automated to be like an allowance per week or a monthly allowance.
How do you link Purewrist to a bank account (if you can) and how can you manage your funds?
The Purewrist app is fully integrated with Plaid.
Once users have purchased their Purewrist GO bracelet, they can add more funds by simply upgrading to a ‘Reloadable’ card at no additional cost.
Users simply need to verify their identity for security reasons and connect to an existing bank account through the Purewrist app to manage funds.
What are the Purewrist fees involved for a regular user? Are there transaction caps?
There is a subscription fee of $4.95 / month.
Purewrist waives the subscription fee when users spend over $250/month (less than $10/day).
We envision a regular resident in any major city with access to public transportation to spend at least $10/day between subway rides and a cup of coffee.
$500 is the transaction cap for a single transaction and the total balance allowed on the card is $1000.
This could also work great as a way to offer corporate incentives. What types of B2B applications can Purewrist offer?
The Purewrist platform can facilitate multiple programs for corporate customers. Some examples include Employee Reward Programs, Tips and Commissions, Payroll deposits, Expense reimbursement (Per Diem) etc.
Charities and corporate customers can use the bracelet as their billboard to garner support and rewards/loyalty points from participating merchants.
Color, logo and design of the bracelet can be customized as desired by the corporate customer.
Can you tell us about the certifications and security of Purewrist and its app?
Purewrist Direct, the reloadable product, is FDIC insured.
Purewrist uses fully certified EMVCO contactless products from NXP Semiconductors. This is the same chip that is used for credit and debit cards used by all major banks across the world. It uses the same protocols as any EMVCO transaction (NFC Payment), the same chip, and the same Mastercard Applet that is used in any other bank issued Mastercard prepaid or debit product.
Purewrist contactless payment accounts are issued by Sutton Bank pursuant to a license by Mastercard International Inc.
We hope we covered the main aspects of Purewrist here, so you got a better idea about what it can do. You can find out more about it and order PureWrist here.
Suresh Palliparambil is CEO of Purewrist and the wearable device’s creator.
Prior to joining Purewrist, Palliparambil led the explosive growth of the payment, RFID, NFC, Secure ID and retail productivity solutions divisions within NXP Semiconductors as its Senior Director of Market Development and Distribution for the Americas.
He has also held leadership roles at Ondas Networks, Intelleflex, Datalogic and DHL Express, alongside IoT and RFID innovators.
Suresh has an undergrad degree in engineering, a master’s in industrial management and an MBA from the Sloan School of Business at MIT.
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