From 1 July 2013 Book Indian Railways Ticket by SMS/USSD

Soon  Train passengers will be able to use their mobile phones to book tickets using SMS that is  text-messaging-based facility or a menu-based dialling service(USSD) from July 1. This can be used with even simple feature phones to smartphones. There is no need for an internet connection and customers will not have to pay any data charges.

The IRCTC said that it has provided a simple user-guided menu to book tickets, search stations and check the availability of berths.”A dedicated telephone number will soon be provided to carry out the transactions,”
For the SMS-based ticket service, customers need to register with their banks to generate Mobile Money Identifier (MMID), a seven-digit random number. For the menu-based USSD system, there is no need to register with the bank and payment can be authorized through a mobile wallet.

Six berths or seats can be booked in a single transaction through the new systems.SMS charge for booking will be Rs 3. Apart from this there will be gateway charge of Rs 5 upto ticket of Rs 5000 and for ticket above Rs 5000 there will be charge for Rs 10

Procedure for Booking

1. SMS-based booking

* Registered IRCTC users can use this service. You also need to register your mobile number with IRCTC as well as your bank, which provides Mobile Money Identifier (MMID) and one-time password (OTP)

* Send SMS to designated number in following format: BOOK

* You receive a transaction ID

* Make payment with an SMS to designated number in the following format

PAY

2) USSD (menu-based dialling)

* Dial designated number, select ‘book tickets’ option, select ‘reservation’ (user is prompted to enter his IRCTC user ID once only), enter details (station, train no., date, etc)

* Enter mPIN for authorizing payment through mobile wallet

* Booking confirmation SMS is sent by IRCTC

Forget Credit/debit card pay your bill using Smartphone :NFC :Near field Communication

What is NFC?
NFC stand for Near field Communication which is next generation a wireless communication technology which allows users to simply wave or tap their phones over another NFC enabled device to exchange any desired information.

 This feature of NFC is  also used by shoppers to make payments through their mobile phones by simply bringing the phone within 10 cm of a hardware device used which is used for accounting. The technology makes use of electromagnetic radio fields to transfer data from your phone to the computer. All you have to do to transfer data is wave your phone in front of the store accountant’s computer. In order to work, both the devices involved in the data transfer need to be equipped with NFC.

With this feature you don’t have to carry separate credit or debit cards with you. So, even if you have forgotten your wallet at home, no need to worry, you can make transactions simply by using your NFC enabled smartphone.
When you have such technology which enables payment with just tapping of phone then Question arise how secure is it? What if I lose my phone? Will someone else be able to wave orr tap my phone for shopping ?
NFC has multi-layered security system that stores all data in an encrypted form on phone’s software with a extra hardware attached to it. In order to access the encrypted details you need to enter a secret PIN known only to you.
In case you lose your phone, you can deactivate your accounts immediately.
NFC extends much beyond functionality apart  form payment.
1) allow you to keep track of your loyalty points, store coupons and discount vouchers.
2) you can also store boarding passes and tickets on your mobile phone.
3) you can  share information including multimedia files with your online community.
4) Near Field Communication is next generation technology for mobile-based money transfers.