Restaurants will soon take any mobile payment at the table
Sure, your local drug store or theme park may let you buy things with your phone at the counter, but what about paying at the table in your favorite restaurant? Never fear, as Verifone will soon have you covered. Its upcoming Payware Mobile e355 wireless terminal lets stores accept any mobile payment you have, wherever you happen to be. It'll take Apple Pay, Google Wallet and other NFC tap-to-pay transactions, and the design is meant to accommodate as many device shapes and operating systems as possible. You may never have to break out your credit card just because the shop can't handle your new phone.
Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a while before you can see how well this works. Verifone doesn't ship the e355 until the summer, and it could take much longer before your local pub lets you pay for a pint with your iPhone. Nonetheless, this is an important step -- stores are more likely to embrace the future and accept your phone payments when they know their wireless gear won't be obsolete in a year or two.
