CashApp
Cash App’s new payment wand is pure fantasy. “Even the practical parts of everyday life must have a personal and fun side”, says its designer.
The North American technology company is introducing a new way to pay: waving a fairy wand.
There is nothing magical about technology. It is, rather, one of Cash App’s NFC tags, which allow users to perform payments contactless without having to have a traditional card or a cell phone.
The pearlescent wand, which costs $25, has a light green faux gemstone in the center of the star-shaped tip, and is small enough to hold. attach to a key ring.
With 10,000 wands at initial launch, the device is part of a wider line of tags of Cash App. Users associate the wand with their Cash App Card, which is linked to their Cash App account.
“The starting point for us was simple: card format is limited,” he tells Thomas Templetonresponsible for hardware at Block, Cash App’s parent company.
“Even the best card lives in the wallet, guarded, hidden. We wanted to create something for those times when reaching for your cell phone or wallet is inconvenient, like at a festival, a comedy show, a trip to the coffee shop, but also something that people they really wanted to be seen using. Visible, expressive, a little fun.”
As ingenious as it may seem, the idea is not completely new. On social media, credit cards have been disguised for some time as magic wands has been around for some time.
Often given to partners and children, these personalized cards allow the user pay just by waving (or approaching) a reader’s wand.
Some of the original versions were fhandmade paperlike that of a DIY lover, who created a yellow star-shaped wand with pink ribbons to serve as the card’s cover.
@dapollypocket🌟♬ LDN – Lily Allen
Even so, Cash App guarantees that it came up with the idea before these TikTok creatives. “In truth, we came to the concept of the wand some time ago. So when this trend gained traction, it was more of a validation than an inspiration,” says Templeton.
“Customers independently arrived at the same idea than us, which says something concrete about what this generation considers worth taking with them.”
Design the tag brought unique challenges. The company wanted users to have multiple tags and cards to combine with each other, like someone who decorates with jewelry.
Furthermore, near field communication (NFC) technology had to be support different shapes and materials without losing reliabilityand. By dint of trial and error, including putting a label through “hundreds of cycles in the washer and dryer” to test its durability, the team arrived at a functional design.
But, beyond a simple trick, contactless payment wands symbolize a effort to bring a little fun to everyday life.
“There is this idea of ‘living in fantasy’ that has taken hold, the notion that even the practical parts of everyday life must have a personal and fun side,” says Templeton. “The tags go precisely towards this. We’re giving people a way to add personality to something as routine as paying.”
