PayPal Introduces ‘Bypass’ Model to Retail Payments


Twenty-five years ago, telecommunications was facing their biggest threat since deregulation, and most executives did not take the threat seriously. Ten years later, it had decimated international telecom revenue models and profitability. Today, it is the reason that most phone calls cost close to nothing. It’s called “Bypass,” and it has just appeared in the … Continue reading PayPal Introduces ‘Bypass’ Model to Retail Payments

VeriFone Defines Next Generation of Mobile Commerce Services with PAYMEDIA


VeriFone has crystallized its long-term position in a pivotal announcement today about a new product determined to put the VeriFone POS devices at the coveted center of payments, loyalty, and mobile commerce industries.  As reported by American Banker this morning, VeriFone’s new service is called, “PAYMEDIA Solutions” and it appears to have the feature-rich experience … Continue reading VeriFone Defines Next Generation of Mobile Commerce Services with PAYMEDIA

Will Retailers Use “Tender Steering” to Control Interchange Fees?


A process called “tender steering” is new to most retailers.  It means that a retailer can provide incentives to customers to use a particular type of card to pay.  This method could give retailers the power to drive interchange rates down by driving customers to some types of cards and away from others. You might … Continue reading Will Retailers Use “Tender Steering” to Control Interchange Fees?

Mobile Payments Strategy of Mastercard is Crystallizing


For over two years now, conventional wisdom and industry pundits agreed that the general strategy of MasterCard and Visa would attempt to make mobile payments simply another form factor of a credit or debit account. The tactics that these companies would use to accomplish this strategy, however, had been the subject of extensive speculation and … Continue reading Mobile Payments Strategy of Mastercard is Crystallizing

Combining Payments and Loyalty Programs


The first pictures of the Isis mobile wallet are probably many months away from being released to the public. No, the image on the left is neither from Isis nor endorsed by Isis, but it has merit based on recent public statements from the company. Last week, two executives on the Isis management team discussed … Continue reading Combining Payments and Loyalty Programs

Starbucks Mobile Payments


Starting today, my wallet will forever stay in my pocket at Starbucks.  That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop buying Starbucks coffee; it means that I can finally feed my caffeine addiction using only my SmartPhone. When Starbucks Coffee announced yesterday that over 6,800 of its locations would accept mobile payments, there was a significant … Continue reading Starbucks Mobile Payments