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QC goes cashless with NFC payment tech

Queen’s College has, with the help of Kanoo Pays, implemented a smart ID card system for students that serves as an identification card and also enables cashless transactions on campus, the school’s Principal Rev. Henry Knowles explained yesterday.

The smart ID card system is another product Kanoo is rolling out to continue its mission of promoting the future of payment systems.

Kanoo’s Assistant Operations Manager Jamal Bingham explained that while the ID cards – which use near field communication (NFC) technology to carry out transactions – are made for QC’s on-campus transactions, students can also transact at Kanoo merchants outside of school using the money stored on their cards.

Knowles said the cards are convenient because parents can top up their children’s accounts through the Kanoo app.

He said the initiative will help to prepare students for a cashless society.

According to Knowles, there was some initial hesitation from parents due to cybersecurity concerns, but he explained that the adoption rate is nearing 80 percent, as parents become more comfortable.

“So you don’t have to worry about kids saying, ‘mom I forgot my money home, and you bring me lunch money,” said Knowles.

“It’s all uploaded to their accounts by their parents through their Kanoo app, and they’re able to use their cards around the campus.”

QC’s account manager and Kanoo’s Sales Manager for the Central District Brooke Greene said the introduction of the cards has also reduced wait times on the lunch line, and will reduce the amount of money lost by children.

“It just mitigates the loss of money. It gives parents the ease of not having to worry if they have change, or gave their children enough change for lunch,” Greene said.

“It doesn’t inconvenience the parents. It also makes the lunch line go a lot faster, because they don’t have to deal with the exchange of cash.”

She added that Kanoo also helped to facilitate a lunch ordering portal for the kindergarten students who do not use the cafeteria.

According to Greene, Kanoo is working on closing other school accounts in the near future and wants to bring the cashless payment system to other schools across The Bahamas.