Received from Richard in Boston :

MasterCard says millions no-touch cards to be issued

MEMPHIS, Sept 19, 2005 (Reuters) - A top executive with Mastercard Inc. said on Monday the company, the world's No. 2 credit-card association, expected to have 4 million so-called "pay pass" cards in circulation by year's end. [ Ed: Christmas season 2005 ]

Speaking at an industry conference here, Ruth Ann Marshall, Americas president for MasterCard, said that Citibank, HSBC and Key Bank had all begun offering the cards, which are equipped with a radio-frequency chip that allows customers to pay for purchases by simply waving their cards at readers posted near cash registers or gas pumps.

Marshall said the pay-pass cards were "easier to use than cash" and were one of the products MasterCard was counting on to increase revenue and profits as it faces a variety of challenges in the marketplace, including new rivals and regulatory scrutiny
http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=newIssuesNews&storyID=URI:urn:newsml:reuters.com:20050919:MTFH10181_2005-09-19_17-07-55_N19252722:1