Square mobile payment solution now available in Canada

by Jeff Causey on Oct 24th 2012, 10:30pm
tagged canada, credit cards, payments, reader, square

For small business owners or individuals selling goods or services, a common business challenge is the ability to accept payments from customers wanting to use a credit card. This is especially true for those who conduct business “in the field” or otherwise don’t have a fixed point-of-sale system. Square introduced a unique solution to this problem in the form of a mobile card reader that plugs into the headphone jack of iOS or Android devices. Users can then accept payments using the Square Register app on the device for a fee of 2.75% per swipe without having to jump through the normal hoops associated with establishing a merchant account with a financial institution.

Until now, one of the limitations has been geographic as Square was only doing business in the U.S. That changed today with Square’s announcement that they are expanding into Canada. Hit the break to read the full press release. » Read the rest

Square App Updated To 2.1, Makes Mobile Payments Even More Of A Cinch (Video)

by Joe Sirianni on Aug 23rd 2011, 10:26pm
tagged 2.1, Android, Android Market, application, applications, credit card, mobile payments, payments, square app, transactions, update

The popular mobile payment system, Square, by Square Inc, has been updated to version 2.1. Added features include quicker payment processing, pushing payments through in as little as four seconds. How in the world did they do that, you say? Well, the update now allows you to skip having to add your John Hancock with transactions under $25.00 In addition, tipping just got a whole lot easier too. The interface has been better optimized, allowing you to add gratuity with just one tap. Now that’s convenience. Furthermore, anyone who signs up for the service and downloads the app will freely receive a card reader for their device in the mail at no extra charge. If you’re ready to be more productive, whether you own your own small business, or you’re just paying for a yard sale item, you can head on over to our popular apps database for the download where you’ll also find a QR code available. And if you’re not in need of a QR code, you can snatch the download from the Android Market. Feel free to let us know what you think of the app in the comments below.

American Express and Verizon Wireless team up to bring mobile payments to smartphones and tablets

by Robert Nazarian on Aug 2nd 2011, 8:15am
tagged american express, mobile offers, mobile payments, payments, redemptions, Serve, Verizon, verizon wireless

American Express and Verizon Wireless announced they will integrate Serve, a next-generation digital payment and commerce platform, on many Verizon mobile smartphones and tablets. Verizon customers will be able to make payments and redeem offers for goods and services from their mobile phones or tablets using Serve.

Serve authenticates the mobile number which allows customers to make a purchase on-screen with only a few clicks. It is currently accepted by the millions of merchants in the United States who accept American Express.

You will be able to redeem mobile offers from participating merchants with credits automatically appearing in your serve account. The two companies are also working with Payfone to support Serve checkout on Verizon Wireless devices.

Full press release after the break

» Read the rest

Stay On Top Of Your Amex Account With American Express For Android

by Joe Sirianni on Jun 27th 2011, 1:35pm
tagged account, american express, amex, balance, card, credit, multiple accounts, payments

Are you an American Express user? We’ve got some good news for you if you own an Android device. Now you can stay up to date on your account using your Android smartphone while on the go. American Express for Android allows you to pay your bill on time, peek in on your balance, see all transactions and check out multiple accounts if you have them. It’s convenience in your pocket. Ready to start keeping better track of your Amex account while on the fly? Head on over to our popular apps database for the download where you’ll also find a QR Code available. If you want, you can also head on over to the Android Market for the download as well. And as always, let us know what you think of the app in the comments below. Hit the break to check out another screen shot of the application as well. » Read the rest

Google working with Mastercard and Citigroup for NFC testing – world domination comes after?

by Jesse Bauer on Mar 28th 2011, 12:08pm
tagged Android, Citigroup, contactless payments, ContactlessPayments, credit card payments, Google, google checkout, google payments, MasterCard, mobile payment system, mobile payments, MobilePayments, MobilePaymentSystem, near field communications, NearFieldCommunications, NFC, patent, patent app, patent application, PatentApp, PatentApplication, patents, payment, payments, point of sale, PointOfSale, pos, privacy, privacy issues, PrivacyIssues

The WSJ is reporting that Google may have been already teaming up with Mastercard and Citigroup to demo and test NFC (Near Field Communication) systems for mobile payment and payment processing. The payment companies have been rumored to be demoing “one current model and many coming models of Android phones”, which may be using the NFC chip seen in the Nexus S for mobile debit and credit payments.

To add to the rumor, Google may have submitted a patent for a mobile payment processing system app for mobile devices to use in making and receiving payments as well. The app would essentially gather/collect payment information, including shipping rates and checkouts from any online shopping cart system, thus giving Google more user info on what people are shopping for and where they’re shopping for it, along with shipping data. Google having a system like this would act as a 3rd party broker app, much like how PayPal currently works, but will include much much more user data than Paypal collects through its merchant services. Just another way Google is gearing up for world domination?

[via engadget, intomobile]

PayPal may be supporting NFC payments

by Jesse Bauer on Jan 4th 2011, 10:50pm
tagged Android, android 2.3, ebay, Gingerbread, Google, NFC, online transactions, payments, paypal, paypal mobile

Android 2.3 comes with NFC (Near Field Communication) capabilities, despite the use of NFC is still a little unclear, although has huge potential for the future of digital transactions. A current rumor is that PayPal may be an early adopter of the NFC technology, suggesting a partnership with Google. If this deal goes down, PayPal may be supporting payments in the latter part of 2011.

Laura Chambers, Senior Director of PayPal Mobile, said a commercial NFC service in late 2011 is feasible and that Google could represent a viable partner. Given PayPal’s amount of transactions online and in mobile devices, this seems realistic for them to grab this new technology and start setting standards along with Google.

[via Business Week]

Visa ropes in Bank of America for mobile payments trial in New York

by Dustin Karnes on Aug 20th 2010, 4:24pm
tagged Android, banking, boa, card, contactless, credit, finance, mobile, money, payments, visa

Remember that post awhile back about AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile rolling out a platform that would get them involved in mobile payments? Well, it looks like Visa heard the call, and have responded with an attack plan of their own. The company has now announced that they are going to start trialing a contactless payment system of their own, with Bank of America as their guinea pig.

The service will start out in New York in September, and moving on through the end of the year. While there isn’t a whole lot of official information on this, speculations say that only select people and employees will be getting the specialized chips that allow mobile payment.

[via engadget]