Published by Gbaf News
Posted on June 27, 2015
3 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Flypay, the market leader in innovative, state-of-the-art mobile technology for the hospitality industry, announced at the Managed Pub Summit that the business will be working with Visa Europe Collab, the innovation development centre of Visa Europe, Fuller’s and Zonal, to reinvent the bar tab in the smartphone age as we know it.
The initiative will make paying in pubs as a group experience significantly more efficient. Currently, pubs keeping cards behind the bar represent a PCI compliance problem for operators, in addition to regular walk-outs. In terms of consumers, forgotten cards are a huge problem, and the lack of visibility over their tab, can leave customers feeling anxious.
The purpose of Visa Europe Collab is to create a pipeline of innovative propositions for Visa Europe and its members. Flypay has worked closely with the innovation hub, to create a proof of concept solution that works for both the operator and consumers, allowing customers to physically order at the bar. The technology will allow them to set up an instant pre-authorised tab through the Flypay app, add others to the tab, see live bill information through a POS integrated approach, and leave at the end of the night without needing to remember to settle their bar bill. Leveraging the existing tab interface means there is almost no retraining requirements for front-of-house teams, or operational changes to the bar.
Dr Steve Perry, former Chief Digital Officer of Visa Europe and now the Founder of Visa Europe Collab, commented: “It has been a pleasure to work with Flypay to bring this ground breaking initiative to such an important industry as hospitality. Our goal is to transform future interactions for consumers with payments, which represents an important first step in this transformation.”
In the pilot stage Flypay and Visa Europe Collab are working with Fuller’s as the industry champion, creating a solution that works for them, for their customers and for the pub industry. Tom Weaver, CEO of Flypay, commented: “We were thrilled to begin working with Fuller’s on this initiative. Their innovative spirit and pragmatic approach helped us swiftly design a solution that works for Fuller’s as an operator and their customers”
Oliver Boardman, IT Operations Manager at Fuller’s, commented: “Although we already have a robust pre-authorisation system in our pubs that means no cards are left behind the bar, at Fuller’s, we are always focused on creating the best experiences for our customers. Paying at the bar, particularly when paying for a group, is an area the whole industry could improve upon. We’ve really enjoyed working with Flypay on shaping this solution.”
The solution is currently exclusive to Zonal EPOS customers. “Zonal has not only worked with us technically to get this solution working through their superb Aztec integration, but has also worked with us to look at the bigger picture to ensure our solution solves the real problems for their customers,” said Weaver.
The working group, also including Lloyds Cardnet representing merchant acquirers, have gone through a design, prototype and development phase over the last two months, and the solution will go to a live beta pilot in two Fuller’s sites in July, as stage one of the project.
Flypay’s technology is currently available in over 100 restaurants and bars across the UK, including Wahaca, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Jamie’s Italian, Cabana and Drake & Morgan.
Explore more articles in the Top Stories category
