Proton to be phased out

The Proton payment system is going to be phased out in two stages. The facility to top up a Proton account will gradually be withdrawn from service between October 1 and December 31, 2014. From January 1, 2015, payments by Proton will no longer be allowed. Proton terminals will be withdrawn from the market between January 1 and February 28, 2015.

“If, after the disappearance of Proton, the customer has not used up his remaining balance, they can get it back via the bank through different ways,” said a spokesperson for Bancontact/MisterCash, which advises customers to approach its company for further details about such an operation.

Small sums of money can already be paid by Bancontact/MisterCash. This year alone, around 170 million payments for less than €10 were carried out by this means, which is 10 times more than the number of Proton transactions.

Proton was launched in 1996 as an electronic purse solely intended to pay for small transactions. Bancontact/Mister Cash announced the phasing out of the system in 2012.