Boat, the leading Indian audio wearables brand, has announced a strategic collaboration with Mastercard to introduce tap and pay functionality on its smartwatches. This innovative feature allows Mastercard cardholders to make contactless payments directly through Boat’s payment-enabled devices, marking a significant step forward in the wearable technology space.
According to a company press release on Friday, Boat’s official app, Crest Pay, will facilitate these payments. Users can now tokenize their existing Mastercard debit and credit cards, enabling tap and pay transactions through their smartwatches. The feature supports transactions up to Rs 5,000 without requiring a PIN at any point-of-sale device.
“Our partnership with Mastercard will help widen access to a consumer base which has continuously shown eagerness to adapt to newer modes of contactless payments,” said Sameer Mehta, co-founder of Boat.
This new functionality is initially available to cardholders from selected banks in India, with plans to extend it to other banks in the future, as stated in the release. The integration of Mastercard’s trusted payment technology is expected to enhance user confidence in wearable payment solutions.
“This association will integrate Mastercard’s trusted payment technology with Boat’s devices, enhancing the user confidence in the wearable payment technology through an unmatched experience,” said Gautam Aggarwal, division president, South Asia at Mastercard.
Boat, founded in 2016 by Sameer Mehta and Aman Gupta, has rapidly grown into a popular consumer electronics brand in India. Known for its affordable audio products and wearables, Boat caters to a young, tech-savvy audience with a wide range of products, including headphones, earphones, and smartwatches.
