MasterCard and Dutch bank ING are running a trial in the Netherlands that they say offers a new way to pay online using a mobile phone. The trial also offers a view of how the credit card giant might extend its PayPass technology, which is currently used in point-of-sale terminals, to the online world.

The trial utilise the secure element in a NFC handset in two scenarios: One involves the user making a purchase on their handset and a second where they are shopping via a PC or tablet. The transactions are enabled by a PayPass app sitting in the NFC phone’s secure element, although the trial does not leverage’s the wireless technology’s own capabilities to handle payments. The trial started in October and runs until March, 2013.