Switchio Technology and NFC payments
Back in 2017, Monet+ developed its own Host Card Emulation (HCE) solution for Android under the Switchio brand, enabling secure contactless payments via virtual cards in a mobile phone.
The first customer implementation followed in 2018, and since then more than 150,000 unique mobile cards have been activated across various closed payment systems, including meal vouchers, benefit cards, and other private, closed payment systems.
Until recently, iOS users had no access to these services due to Apple’s restrictions on NFC technology — the short-range wireless communication standard that is fundamental to contactless payments. Apple had long made this technology exclusively available to its own Apple Pay service, meaning third-party apps were unable to offer their own NFC payment solutions. This significantly held back card issuers in their transition to virtualised cards, particularly at a time when the market is shifting towards purely virtual payment cards issued without a physical plastic card.
A turning point came in 2024, when Apple introduced iOS 17.4 and granted third-party apps in the European Economic Area direct access to the NFC chip. For the first time, companies could offer contactless payments on iPhones outside of Apple Pay.
Building on this development, Up Déjeuner in Slovakia entered into a partnership with Monet+ to expand its mobile payment capabilities. These are part of the BENEFIA platform — a digital solution for benefits management available across both mobile and web interfaces.
Up Déjeuner
In the first phase, a standalone payment app called UpKarta was created, allowing users to make contactless payments outside of Apple Pay. This solution was, however, intended as a pilot from the outset. The goal was always to move mobile payments directly into the BENEFIA mobile app — the core digital benefits management solution of the BENEFIA platform operated by Up Déjeuner.
The Switchio solution provided the complete technology stack, including NFC-based contactless payments.
The cooperation with Up Déjeuner was highly valuable and led to a solution that not only reflects the trend toward fully virtualized cards but, above all, delivers real value to end users.
Results After Six Months
Since its launch in Q3 2025, more than 15% of users have downloaded the pilot app within six months, and approximately 20% of contactless payments have been made through it. The UpKarta app proved itself as a temporary solution for introducing mobile payments and made it possible to validate user interest in this payment method.
Integrating contactless payments into the BENEFIA mobile app represents a key step in the development of Up Déjeuner’s digital services and expands the capabilities of the BENEFIA platform.
The UpKarta app, on both Android and iOS platforms, represented an important milestone in digitalizing our clients' benefit policies while also enabling the introduction of environmentally friendly, plastic-free solutions.
The positive response from our users and the growing use of the app confirm that we are on the right track and open up room for further innovation. Incorporating Switchio payments from Monet+ directly into our BENEFIA mobile app offers a very attractive user experience.