A prepaid wallet called Moneto has been launched in the UK that enables iPhone users to make NFC-based transactions through microSD technology supplied by DeviceFidelity. Other companies behind the launch are Kalixa and MasterCard.

The UK is the first country in Europe where Moneto has been launched. Other European countries will follow in the coming months, say the partners. The wallet, which was developed by DeviceFidelity, is already available in the US.

However, Moneto’s wallet is only available for the iPhone 4 and 4S. No date for an iPhone 5 version was given although the company’s website said it is coming soon.

A version of the wallet for Android smartphones will also soon be available, although this is unlikely to have the same cachet since numerous Android-based smartphones already offer NFC functionality (unlike Apple’s iPhones).

The service’s prepaid capability has been developed by Kalixa, a provider of payment services. Users can make transactions at any point-of-sale where MasterCard’s PayPass technology is offered.

As well as NFC-based point-of-sale transactions, users can also use Moneto’s service for P2P transactions. Payments below £20 are taken from a user’s pre-paid account. Above £20, users need to use a chip-and-PIN card to authenticate their transaction.

UK users can sign up for the service irrespective of their mobile operator.