Mobile Payment Magazine

Discover Issues Contactless Payment Cards and Stickers to Members

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Discover card has announced that it will issue contactless credit cards and stickers, targeted at early adopters of its mobile technology. The cards, called Discover Zip were sent out to select cardholders during the first two weeks of November. More cards and stickers will be sent to additional cardmembers starting in January 2011.

Discover Zip is an payment solution that enables quick, secure transactions using contactless technology. Consumers simply touch a payment device, which is in the form of either a plastic card or a sticker that can be applied to a mobile phone or any other item, to a Zip-enabled contactless reader to make a payment.

According to Discover, there are more than 100,000 U.S. merchants that offer contactless readers that accept Zip transactions at the point-of-sale, including quick service restaurants, gas station and convenient stores, retailers and pharmacies, and public transit agencies.

“At Discover, we put a high bar on value to the customer, and are always evaluating technology solutions that make things faster, safer, and more convenient for our cardmembers,” said Mark Scarborough, senior vice president of cardmember marketing at Discover. “Given how tied consumers are to their mobile devices, we know they will appreciate the tremendous value and convenience Discover Zip contactless cards and stickers provide.”

Source: Business Wire

Tagattitude’s TagPay Mobile Payment Model Based on Encrypted Audio Signals (NSDT)

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Tagattitude FranceWhile Near Field Communication (NFC) is getting a lot of press lately with the announcement of the Isis partnerships, there are other technologies for mobile payment that don’t require either a specific terminal, nor complex agreements among the various parties.

An example is TagPay, a mobile payment solution developed by a French startup called Tagattitude. The product is based on the NSDT technology (Near Sound Data Transfer), which is simpler to implement than NFC-based systems. The can be used in a variety of applications, such as mobile point-of-sale payment, money transfer, web authentication, or control and authorization of physical access.

More information: Tagattitude

NFC Insert for Mobile Payment Introduced by On Track Innovations

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On Track Innovations has introduced their new mobile payment system which enables existing mobile phones to support Near Field Communication (NFC) functionality and contactless payments.

The company’s Contactless Payment and NFC Insert (COPNI)  is an add-on to mobile phones’ SIM cards with a flexible antenna. The mobile payment system is independent of the handset type and model, and lets users have one device that is both a mobile phone and a mobile wallet. It is compatible with carriers’ current infrastructure. Mobile phones equipped with COPNI can be used in a broad range of payment applications simply by tapping the phone near a contactless reader. Payments are automatically confirmed and deducted from consumers’ bank accounts, credit cards or pre-paid accounts.

“OTI’s new mobile payment system will allow consumers to easily add NFC functionality to their current mobile phone,” said Oded Bashan, chairman and CEO, OTI. “Our patented technology provides mobile operators and financial institutions/issuers with a quick-to-market NFC solution using the existing infrastructure. It offers them a way to get into the mobile payment market while expanding their customer base and generating increased revenues.”

COPNI supports existing contactless payment applications from major card associations, mass transit ticketing (with MIFARE support) as well as loyalty programs and other proprietary programs. According to the company, potential applications include:

  • Mass transit ticketing – instead of presenting cash or swiping a card at the turnstile, consumers just tap their phone near a contactless reader to proceed through the turnstile
  • Information retrieval – gives consumers the ability to view the current balance of their mobile wallet, and also allows their mobile handsets to receive and instantly download information from their surroundings (retail store, museum, etc.)
  • E-coupons – coupons downloaded to their wireless phone can be redeemed in retail stores at checkout

Source: GlobeNewsWire

DeviceFidelity’s In2Pay Announced as Visa’s First Official Contactless Payment Solution – and It’s MicroSD

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DeviceFidelity In2Pay

Photo from DeviceFidelity

Following in the buzz from the recent Isis initiative announcement, Visa has announced the availability of mobile contactless payments enabled by DeviceFidelity’s In2Pay microSD solution.

In2Pay is the first mobile contactless payment solution included in the list of Visa compliant products available for potential commercial deployment by financial institutions in the U.S. and select markets. There are approximately 5 billion mobile handsets in market around the globe, and according to IDC3, smart phone shipments globally are expected to increase 24% in 2011, helping drive continued growth in more robust and powerful mobile devices that are capable of supporting contactless payment. [Read more…]

Hypercom M5000 Mobile Payment Terminal Announced

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Hypercom’s new M5000 mobile payment terminal is a  hand mobile payment system with a 3.5” color icon-capable touchscreen. The device offers cutting edge mobility, communications and connectivity options available and an integrated contactless reader let merchants accept any type of card payment.  The device is initially supporting GPRS and Bluetooth connectivity.

The mobile payment system is powered by a 266 MHz standard, 400 MHz optional processor, and includes up to 500MB of memory. The processor combined with a touch screen can drive a wide variety of payment or non-payment applications, such as icon-based integration with inventory management or menu ordering systems, and the M5000 includes a software development toolkit for development efficiency and applications portability across the entire Hypercom next generation portfolio.

“Merchants demand payment products that not only expedite the secure transmission of vital transaction data, but also serve as a platform to deliver value-added services to customers, independent of location,” said William Rossiter, Vice President, Global Marketing, Hypercom Corporation. “With our M5000 mobile payment system, we introduce the second in a series of products that run on our next generation platform, include our industry-leading security, deliver the latest features and technology for the lowest total cost of ownership, and thus will enable merchants to deliver new services to their customers today, and well into the future.”

The new M5000 delivers the same unprecedented levels of security as the company’s revolutionary L5000 multilane payment system. It is designed to meet current and future PCI PTS, EMV, ZKA, APACS, JTMS and other global and country-specific security requirements, and features the payment industry’s widest array of high security data encryption technologies. Unlike competitor products, Hypercom’s full X509 Public Key Infrastructure HyperSafe® security layer is also directly embedded in these terminals to protect them and their applications from hacking and malware attacks. All systems also incorporate Hypercom’s HyperSafe Remote Key System for quick and secure payment terminal key injection at the merchant’s location.

Hypercom Corporation (NYSE: HYC) today introduced the M5000 mobile payment terminal, the next generation multipurpose mobile payment system whose futureproof features will protect the investments of a broad spectrum of merchants worldwide, from hotels and restaurants to taxis and delivery companies.

“By bringing to market futureproof systems like the L5000 and M5000, we safeguard our customers’ investments in the fast changing world of payment acceptance and open the door for customers to generate revenue with value-added services, even without payment. Merchants demand payment products that not only expedite the secure transmission of vital transaction data, but also serve as a platform to deliver value-added services to customers, independent of location,” said William Rossiter, Vice President, Global Marketing, Hypercom Corporation. “With our M5000 mobile payment system, we introduce the second in a series of products that run on our next generation platform, include our industry-leading security, deliver the latest features and technology for the lowest total cost of ownership, and thus will enable merchants to deliver new services to their customers today, and well into the future.”

The new M5000 is designed to meet current and future PCI PTS, EMV, ZKA, APACS, JTMS and other global and country-specific security requirements, and features the payment industry’s widest array of high security data encryption technologies. Hypercom’s full X509 Public Key Infrastructure HyperSafe security layer is also directly embedded in these terminals to protect them and their applications from hacking and malware attacks. All systems also incorporate Hypercom’s HyperSafe Remote Key System for quick and secure payment terminal key injection at the merchant’s location.

Source: Business Wire

Montise Joins with Software Developer ViVOtech for Mobile Phone Payment Solutions for Banks

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NFC-enabled Nokia 6212 - contactless transaction. Image from ViVOtech.

Monitise, a provider of mobile money solutions, has joined forces with near field communication (NFC) software developer ViVOtech, to deliver mobile phone payments services to banks across the United States. The partnership means customers of participating banks will be able to turn their handset into a mobile wallet (linked to registered bank accounts, credit and debit cards) and purchase items using contactless payments at merchants with NFC capabilities.

In addition to contactless payments, service users will be able to transfer money from their registered accounts to other bank accounts, perhaps in response to an overdraft alert or to friends and family. The service will also deliver retail coupons and discounts directly to the user on their mobile phone. [Read more…]

ParkMobile Announces Mobile Payment for Parking in Richmond, VA

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Parkmobile USA has announced mobile parking payment in Richmond, Virginia–drivers can use mobile phones to pay for parking.

After setting up the account at the ParkMobile website, customers can immediately start using the system with their registered mobile phone. Motorists can also select the option to receive text message alerts and reminders fifteen minutes before their time expires.

“CityParking Inc. is leveraging the cloud computing environment to enhance the way parking is managed. We are proving how the technologies that have been rapidly deployed in recent months down to the personal level can be incorporated into the parking experience and improve pricing and access to parking at the consumer level,” said Gloria K. Sharrar, principal owner and former Senior Vice President of Technology and Operations at Bank of America. “This is a game-changer for Richmond’s downtown parking. We are the first parking operator in Virginia to offer the pay by phone service for our parking lots.”

“Parkmobile is very excited to launch our pay by phone parking service in collaboration with CityParking. Pay by phone offers customers a new and better way to pay for parking. Parkmobile users have 24/7 access to their online account; they can print reports and easily track their parking expenses. It’s much faster and more convenient”, noted Albert Bogaard, CEO of Parkmobile.

The program will be offered at designated CityParking locations in Richmond.

More information: ParkMobile.com

Campus Apartments Student Tenants Can Pay Rent Via Mobile

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Campus Apartments allows its tenants to pay rent and make service requests via mobile phone.

The College-aged market are native mobile phone users, and with a familiarity and comfort level with interacting via mobile phone, the demographic is perfect for mobile payment applications.

Student housing company Campus Apartments has released an application for Android and iPhone called SmartClick Mobile. The app lets tenants make rent payments via their mobile devices, as well as service requests. SmartClick Mobile is a free application that is an extension to the company’s SmartClick web portal.

Andrew Marshall, Chief Information Officer of Campus Apartments said, “We recognize that residents of student housing demand the most advanced technology amenities, and our goal is to exceed our residents’ expectations.”

Because of the company’s customer demographic, Campus Apartments has been on the forefront in the rental market of offering connectivity and mobile services to its customers. In recent months, Campus Apartments announced the availability of the first 100 megabit per resident Internet service for the student housing market as well as the first to accept mobile text payments from residents.

More information: Campus Apartments

SmartClick Mobile
(http://smartclick.campusapts.com), a free application that is an extension to Campus Apartments’ highly
successful SmartClick web portal, allowing residents to easily pay rent and submit service requests from the
convenience of an iPhone or Android mobile phone in addition to being accessible from any web browser. This
first mobile application in the student housing industry was officially made available to residents on November
17 and has already secured early adopters.
Campus Apartments sought to develop an application that would support its current residents with practical
features such as automated monthly rent, payments via credit card and even
maintenance requests. In developing the application, it was most important to
Campus Apartments to offer residents the benefits of function and convenience
rather than a static application that supported prospective residents.
Andrew Marshall, Chief Information Officer of Campus Apartments said, “We
recognize that residents of student housing demand the most advanced
technology amenities, and our goal is to exceed our residents’ expectations.”
Campus Apartments may have pioneered the first student housing application, but
it also answered residents’ need for a convenient, around‐the‐clock customer
service tool. “Our residents can continue texting, gaming and shopping without
ever stopping to service their needs because our application allows them to do so
from the palm of their hand,” added Marshall.
Campus Apartments affirms that the application is just part of its promise to
provide superior technology capabilities. In recent months, Campus Apartments
announced the availability of the first 100 megabit per resident Internet service for
the student housing market as well as the first to accept mobile text payments from residents.

LG Star 4-inch Smartphone Details Leaked (Photos)

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LG Star 4-Inch Smartphone

Leaked "LG Star" smartphone. Image from: AndroidForums.com

Rumors and some leaked photos of the new LG “Star” 4-inch smartphone reveal that the phone has a screen resolution of 800×480, an 8 mp front-facing camera, the Tegra 2 processor, 1080p video,  and a 15000mAh battery, and will run stock gingerbread.

This is not necessarily the official name of the phone or official spec’s.

Source: Android Forum.

KreditFly Launches Mobile Payment Solution Available to 300 Million U.S. Mobile Phone Customers

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A new player in mobile has launched its mobile payment service today. KreditFly, a flexible mobile payment solutions is available to all 300 million mobile subscribers in the United States, allowing users to immediately use their mobile phones to complete online transactions, and choose the method of payment. On the merchant side, online merchants can take mobile-authenticated payments from their customers at percentage fees in the teens, as opposed to 50% for Premium SMS-based mobile payments.

With KreditFly’s relatively low fees and accessibility to all mobile users, the company expects a dramatic increase in conversion of non-paying users to paying users on the KreditFly site.

Paul Kim, Founder and CEO of KreditFly said, “KreditFly is pioneering a way for our merchant partners to pay significantly lower processing fees, while enjoying the benefit of 300 million potential customers in the US who can become paying users. Until now, the only way to convert users quickly via mobile phone without user pre-registration was to place the charge onto the mobile carrier bill, but the high fees charged to merchants and reliability issues with Premium SMS have prevented truly widespread adoption of mobile payments in the US. KreditFly has now introduced a service that maintains all of the benefits of mobile-authenticated payments, including the speed, security, ubiquity, and high conversion rates, without the excessive fees.”

<strong>How KreditFly Works</strong>

Micro-credit  process, a consumer who does not have a KreditFly account can still complete a transaction and receive his good without having to sign up with KreditFly beforehand. The buyer simply selects KreditFly during checkout, enters his mobile number into the payment page, receives a 4-digit code on his mobile phone, then enters the code back into the online payment page along with his email address. That’s it – the transaction takes only seconds, and the user gets the good from the merchant immediately. Then, within 7 days after the transaction, the user must register with KreditFly and complete payment through any of the payment options that KreditFly offers. KreditFly has developed strong, proprietary methodologies to follow up with users to ensure payment completion.

When users register with KreditFly, those who own credit cards or bank accounts can securely connect their account to these payment options. Those who do not have such options can instead choose to load up their KreditFly account with funds and use it like a debit account by purchasing various prepaid cards that are available at nationwide retail stores (e.g. Walmart, Kroger, Target, 7-Eleven, Walgreens, etc.), or by mailing in cash or money orders directly to KreditFly. Users will soon have other innovative choices, like KreditFly’s PayForMeTM option, which allows users to request one-time payment or recurring allowance from their parents or friends. KreditFly plans to continue adding new and innovative payment methods for its users over time. Regardless of the funding method, each transaction by a registered user is secured with two-factor authentication and takes just seconds to complete by entering a 4-digit code received on the mobile phone and a password established during registration.

Vu Hoang, Co-founder and CFO of Aeria Games (www.aeriagames.com), a partner of KreditFly and leading online game publisher with over 15 million members, asserted that “with KreditFly’s low fees and accessibility to all mobile users, we expect a dramatic increase in conversion of non-paying users to paying users on our site. KreditFly cleverly uses the mobile phone to extend credit to our trusted community, while creating strong accountability and follow-up for payments.”

KreditFly also brings a social aspect into play, rewarding users generously for activities like paying with KreditFly and inviting friends. Users earn KreditFly Points, which can be used like cash at partner sites to get free things like in-game items, virtual currency, music, etc.

KreditFly is launching its beta service with a select group of companies and games, including Aeria Games (www.aeriagames.com), Age of Champions (http://apps.facebook.com/ageofchampions by KlickNation), and Destiny Stone (http://apps.facebook.com/destinystone by Manic Frog). The company is growing its merchant partnership quickly and will announce additional partners shortly.

Source: Business Wire