CreditCardReader
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Amazon might launch Kindle-powered checkout system and cloud-based payment service
Amazon might still be working away on its far-out delivery drone project, but it's also reportedly cooking up something else, admittedly a little tamer, too: a Kindle checkout system and a P2P payment service. Yes, the former's exactly what it sounds like -- a Kindle tablet equipped with proprietary software and a credit card reader (like Square), at least according to the Wall Street Journal. Amazon supposedly acquired GoPago (a mobile payment platform for merchants) in 2013 to nudge this venture forward, though TechCrunch says it's not the only payment solution the firm's developing. Apparently, the company's also creating a cloud-based P2P payment system that might be accessible not just on mobile phones, but also on desktops, making it a veritable PayPal competitor. We just hope it doesn't tie up with Amazon's plans to "ship before you buy" if it does launch, because surprise credit card charges are a nightmare.
Square reveals thinner and more accurate mobile credit card reader
As Square spreads its wings to Japan, starts a new cash-by-email service and retools its mobile apps, the humble credit card reader that started it all hasn't received much attention of late. That changes today, however, with the unveiling of the brand new Square Reader. It's 45 percent thinner than the previous iteration, which Square says makes it the "thinnest mobile card reader on the market." In order to keep the design slim while boosting its performance, Square had to custom-design several of the reader's key components. They include the magnetic readhead and spring that were specially designed for more accurate card-swiping. It also has custom electronics in a single chip so that it simply relies on the plugged-in device for power, negating the need for a separate battery. Last but not least, the audio plug has been redesigned with better communications protocols so that it'll play nice with a wider array of products. The new Square Reader will be in around 30,000 retail stores nationwide starting next year, but if you want it now for your burgeoning small business, you can get it for free from the company's website. To see just how skinny the new reader is, you can check out the side view after the break.
Square now available at Walgreens, Staples and FedEx Office
While a roster of competitors are trying to get their foot in the mobile payments door, Square's busy getting a foothold in retail stores. With Walgreens, Staples and FedEx Office locations now carrying the credit card reader, it's available at more than 20,000 physical shops throughout the US -- joining Apple, Best Buy, OfficeMax, Radio Shack, Target, UPS and Wal-Mart. Bringing it home from a brick and mortar establishment will set you back $9.95, but Square's sweetening the pot with a $10 rebate for new users. However, if your entrepreneurial snail mail-loving heart desires, you can still have one mailed to you by signing up online. Eager to start swiping plastic? Lookout below for the full press release.
99Bill produces first iPhone credit card reader in China
99Bill, a leading electronic financial service provider in China, is launching a new mobile payment solution that looks surprisingly familiar. The square-shaped 99Bill Card Reader plugs into the audio jack of your iPhone or Android device and lets merchants accept credit card and bank card payments on the go. The company is hoping to take advantage of the growing interest in mobile payments and smartphones, which are taking China by storm. Show full PR text 99Bill's Smartphone Card Reader to Enable Massive Mobile Payment in China 99BILL CORPORATION CARD READER 99Bill's Smartphone Card Reader to Enable Massive Mobile Payment in China. (PRNewsFoto/99Bill Corporation) BEIJING, CHINA BEIJING, May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- 99Bill Corporation, China's leading electronic financial service provider, announced the official launch of its new mobile payment product 99Bill Card Reader. By simply plugging the tiny 99Bill Card Reader into Smartphone audio jack, merchants can accept bank card and credit card payments on the go, and make more sales quickly. The patented solution supports both iOS and Android platforms. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120508/CN02862) Statistics shows that China has huge demands for card present transactions, but still lags behind other markets around the developed world where POS devices are extremely common. According to People's Bank of China, the nation had issued a total of nearly 3 billion bank cards by the end of 2011, an increase of 22% from the previous year. Meanwhile, there were only 3.18 million merchants using a total of 4.82 million POS devices in China. The 99Bill Card Reader creates an entirely new card present payment solution for merchants and consumers by tuning smartphones into POS devices. According to iResearch, China's leading internet-based research firm, there were a total of 72.1 million smart phones being sold in 2011 alone, an increase of 103.1% over the previous year, and this trend is expected to continue in 2012 with an estimated 113 million being sold throughout the year. The increasing penetration of mobile devices gives 99Bill Card Reader a natural edge in this market segment. With 99Bill's patented technology, the 99Bill card reader solution supports both pass code and signature based bank card transactions. This is especially important in the China market, where pass code enabled bank cards are the most common. Oliver Kwan, CEO of 99Bill, said, "We always position ourselves as a comprehensive B2B and B2C payment solution provider for business customers. This Card Reader can significantly increase the number of bank card acceptance devices in China and give our business customers more choices to accept payments. We will continue to introduce more innovative payment solutions that really work, and help our customer grow their business." The 99Bill Card Reader takes advantage of the convenience and ubiquitous nature of mobile devices to enable mobile selling for large companies and face-to-face transactions for small-to-medium size businesses. The first commercial use of such a product in mainland China, 99Bill has already signed agreements with three insurance companies to support their mobile sales forces. In China's mobile payment market, 99Bill has introduced a wide range of innovative products over times, including WAP, IVR, and InAPP based mobile payment services. As China's leading provider of electronic financial services, 99Bill provides a comprehensive suite of electronic payment solutions that are actively used in 20 major industries, including airline, online and offline retail, insurance, education, logistics, etc. In 2011, the company obtained the six payment service licenses issued by the People's Bank of China, the most of any e-payment company in the industry.
PayPal and Softbank announce new joint venture in Japan, mobile app
PayPal has joined forces with Softbank to bring its mobile payment system / digital wallet to Japan. PayPal Here uses an encrypted card reader -- like its BFF Square, and more recently, VeriFone -- to minimize users' cash dependency. There's also a redesigned app that makes it easier for customers to locate participating merchants while they're out and about. The $25 million joint venture targets small businesses, especially those using iPhones (though it also works just fine on Android), and will be made available to the Japanese masses over the next several weeks. We're sure the setup will be used exclusively by the forces of good to stimulate the local economy.
99Bill smartphone card reader pushes mobile payments for China, pretends it's never heard of Square
Jostling for attention among a crowd of China-focused smartphone card readers, 99Bill's card reader has now been officially revealed. It plugs into your headphone jack and communicates with apps on both iOS and Android. The familiar-looking reader supports both passcode and signature security -- China matches several European countries where passcode cards are the more common option. The company has already hooked up with three insurance companies, but it's keeping quiet on the rates it'll charge per transaction and any further expansion plans. 99Bills lays down why it should be your go-to choice for smartphone payments in mainland China right after the break.
In Ticketing increases options for venues and promoters, as long as they're using iOS
Converting a cellphone into a credit card reader is nothing new, but transforming one into a box office for live events could shake things up a bit -- or, at least provide a bit of friendly competition for NFC-based alternatives. In Ticketing has just launched InHand Box Office software for use at live events. The company claims to be one of the greener ticketing outfits out there, and plans to turn your iPhone or iPod touch into a device capable of wirelessly processing payments (and printing out paper receipts, unlike Square or PayPal Here) at independently run concerts or festivals. Potentially reducing time spent in line and preventing congestion at the entrance translates into more people inside the venue, and using your phone instead of a difficult-to-establish credit card merchant account should reduce the friction in throwing such an event. As long as you tend to carry the appropriate iDevice with In Ticketing's new app installed, you can marry it to that iAPS Sled you see above to create your own personal CC processing machine. The only issues? Convincing Gotye to play your house party instead of Coachella next year, and that awkward lack of support for Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone.
Square gets a few more Chinese clones, Jack Dorsey may or may not be flattered
Never mind what PayPal has just unveiled today -- look at these mobile phone credit card readers from China instead. If you ask Square CEO Jack Dorsey, we're sure he'll have to a thing or two to say about these familiar-looking dongles (and not to mention the various weibo microblogging services that were inspired by Jack's Twitter platform). Coincidentally, all three of these pictures above showed up on Sina Weibo earlier today, albeit from different accounts with very little detail in each post -- we'd like to think they're trying to make a point one after the other. So who's behind these little plastic bricks from the Far East?Starting from the left (courtesy of Xiaomi Vice President Li Wanqiang) we have Lakala, a well-known Chinese payment service provider whose POS terminals are featured in major supermarkets and convenience stores. We spoke to the company's CEO Sun Taoran who assured us that this is a booming business in China, as credit cards are more popular than you'd expect these days (most large eateries, supermarkets and even karaoke bars in domestic cities will happily accept them); and of course, he'd certainly want a slice of that massive smartphone pie over there. The Beijing-based company also said its dongle will function even without a phone client installed, but it wouldn't further elaborate at this point. Expect to see Lakala's product launch in May.
PayPal unveils Square competitor 'PayPal Here'
Small businesses that are using PayPal to process credit cards but considering the Square service are in luck -- PayPal today unveiled a competitor to Square called "PayPal Here". Like Square, the new service comes with a free card reader dongle. In this case, the card reader has been designed with a stabilizing "wing" that makes it much easier to swipe a credit card. PayPal notes that the reader comes with a free companion PayPal Here app that isn't in the App Store as of the time of publication. The iPhone or iPad that is used with the card reader needn't be online -- apparently the card reader can be used offline as well. The merchant simply needs to tap in an amount, then hand the phone or iPad to the customer. The buyer can add a tip, sign, and request a method of getting a receipt. If the merchant doesn't have the card reader with him/her, the app has a Scan Card feature that uses the device's camera to read the credit card number -- the merchant still needs to enter the customer's CVV and postal code. Scan Card also works with debit cards and checks, and the app can also be used to track cash transactions. Both the card reader and app offer encryption, and PayPal will charge merchants a flat 2.7 percent fee for the service. If you apply the income towards your PayPal debit card, which offers a 1 percent rebate on all purchases, your effective rate is 1.7 percent. That's a rate that Square can't currently beat. PayPal is also touting immediate access to funds, while Square has a built-in one-day delay. The service is being rolled out to a few thousand PayPal merchants in the U.S., Hong Kong, and Australia today, and should be available for everyone else in a few weeks. You can sign up to be notified of the availability of the app and readers on the PayPal website.
Square's new Register app turns the iPad into a full-on point of sale terminal
Square continues to add functionality to its mobile payment platform, and the latest addition is its new Register app for iPad. The refresh brings a sleeker interface and greater Card Case integration along with analytics to break down sales by transaction type and chronology to track your business' performance. Additionally, you can set up custom permissions to limit employee access, create customer loyalty programs and there's an improved inventory system feature as well. Naturally, it still relies on Square's trusty card reader for swiping cards and charges 2.75 percent per transaction using Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express. Small businessmen, your payment chariot awaits, so check out a video of the new Square Register in action after the break.
T-Mobile brings Square to select small businesses, does the mobile payment thing
T-Mobile is throwing some of its weight behind the mobile payment movement this morning, becoming the first carrier to offer Square credit card readers to a handful of retail outlets. Under the company's new campaign, stores equipped with T-Mobile smartphones will be able to use Jack Dorsey's readers to finalize transactions from the comfort of their palms. This should come in handy for cash-only businesses, in particular, as T-Mobile emphasized in its announcement today. It's all part of the provider's lineup of small business offerings, though not every retailer will be involved at launch. To see the full list of Squared-up outlets, check out the source link below.
AT&T and Intuit square up to... Square (video)
Better watch your back, Jack. Smartphone-payment player Intuit has formed an unholy alliance with AT&T to produce Intuit GoPayment for AT&T (these guys love the sound of their own names) in the hope of muscling in on Square's burgeoning smartphone mobile payments game. Time and money-poor small business people just need to insert the reader into the headphone socket of their phone (or tablet) and fire up the app. The partnership is offering faster deposits, no monthly service charge (mind that 2.7 percent commission per use, though) and the backing of a massive telecoms corporation. The service also forwards email receipts to customers and integrates with Quickbooks to save a further job when it's the end of quarter. The partnership thinks that mobile transactions will be in the trillions and, understandably, want in on that action. After the break you can watch an informative video and read all the gory details in the joint press release.
Square makes a larger mark on the brick-and-mortar scene, available in more outlets
Best Buy, Target, Walmart, The Shack, Apple. All of the above are now proudly selling the Square credit card reader, according to a tweet sent out by CEO Jack Dorsey. It's great news for anyone willing to shell out a ten-spot in order to conduct business from their iOS device right away, rather than waiting between two and five days for a free one to show up in the mail. If you need one today, you'd best be calling up your local retail outlet to make sure they have some in stock.
Verizon to offer Intuit's GoPayment in retail stores, free after rebate
There's nothing worse than missing out on your favorite street meat because you've only got plastic. But even smaller vendors may soon be able to process that dollar hot dog with a credit card, as Verizon Wireless is making Intuit's GoPayment card reader available in its 2,300 retail stores. The small business-friendly machine plugs into a BlackBerry, Android or iOS device to transform the smartphone or tablet into a credit card processing machine using a free app. After a $30 mail-in rebate, the hardware is free with no monthly fees and a 2.7-percent fee per transaction. Merchants who upgrade to the premium version for $12.95 per month will only have to fork over 1.7-percent fee per swipe, bringing the net income on that dollar tube of processed meat to just over 98 cents. Plus, Intuit is throwing in two months gratis for the paid version. Check out the full PR after the break, and don't forget the ketchup and mustard.
ERPLY's mobile credit card reader handles NFC payments on an iPad, obliterates the check-out line
It may look like nothing more than a glorified chip clip, but that dongle at the bottom of this guy's iPad is actually ERPLY's new credit card reader -- the latest addition to a growing field of NFC and mobile payment devices designed for small and large businesses. Once attached to an iPad's charging port, the peripheral will send a user's encrypted credit card information to ERPLY's point-of-sale and inventory management software, allowing customers to purchase products on the store room floor and giving retailers the ability to monitor transactions and stock flows in real time. Available for $50 (with a transaction fee of 1.9 percent), the reader is also equipped to handle both NFC and traditional card payments and, after processing a purchase, will automatically send a receipt to consumers via text or e-mail. At the moment, it's only available for the iPad, though iPhone users should be able to get their own version within the next three months. Swipe past the break for more information, in the full press release.
Square Register and Card Case hands-on
It looks like Square's little headphone jack-connected credit card reader has some company. The mobile payment startup introduced two new additions to its unique stable of payment options in San Francisco this morning that do away with credit cards, paper receipts, and even the bantam reader itself (to some degree). First up is the Square Register, an app that allows merchants to accept payments by way of the card reader or through a card-less (no, it's not NFC) tab -- like, "put it on my tab" -- system, and uses Google-style analytics to keep track of payments, receipts, and trends. The second announcement, the Square Card Case, is a virtual wallet that holds a series of "cards," each relating to a participating outlet, that let you put your purchases on the aforementioned tab. Each shop has its own virtual credit card, and enables shoppers to make and track purchases with a single click of a button. We got a chance to give the setup a try, and it's just about as simple as Square would have you believe. To get started, you make a regular, Square-enabled purchase at a participating store, at which point a text-message receipt is sent to your phone that prompts you to install Card Case -- we skipped this step, as this was just a demo. Once set up, we were introduced to the Card Case, holding cards for the participating stores -- only 50 spots in five cities, for now -- and an "Explore Places" button that offers access to a directory of participating outlets. We selected a nearby cupcake stand, clicked "open tab" and picked our poison: a miniature red velvet cupcake, in this case. The merchant picked our name from a list of open tabs, charged the tiny treat to our card, and a receipt was promptly pushed our way. After the transaction was complete, we went back to the cupcake card in the Card Case, and there was the receipt. All in all it was a painless process, but, then, so is whipping out a real wallet to make a purchase. The new Square setup is available now at 50 different establishments in New York, LA, Saint Louis, San Francisco, and DC, and the company says it will curate the list of participating stores, much like Apple does apps.
Square to add encryption to mobile card reader, skimmers put on notice
It's only been a couple days since we first heard about Visa's involvement with Square, but the credit card giant is already making its mark on the mobile payment startup. At the Visa Global Security Summit on Wednesday, Square Security Lead Sam Quigley revealed that the company will distribute an encrypted card reader this summer, which will work exclusively with its mobile payment app. The current reader theoretically scans credit card data to any app, but the encrypted version will only work with Square, which should alleviate VeriFone's concern that the company was essentially distributing "card skimmers" to anyone with a social security number. Luckily, the new encrypted reader will remain free, giving Square a colossal advantage over VeriFone's Payware Mobile product, which carries a $49 activation fee, in addition to standard merchant fees. Not to mention, it isn't available in white.
Square gets financial backing from Visa, asks to see some ID
Everything's coming up Jack Dorsey these days. Last week Apple started stocking Square's iPhone credit card readers in its 235 US retail locations, and now, according to Reuters, Visa has put its plastic where its mouth is. The credit card giant has invested in the personal payments startup, scoring itself a spot on Square's advisory board in the process. No word on how much Visa is actually dropping on the company, but one thing stands to reason: it probably didn't make the deposit via Verifone. If you would like to invest in a Square reader, it'll cost you a lot less -- the company is still offering smartphone plug-ins for free on its site.
Apple Stores stocking Square credit card readers
Jack Dorsey's über-popular credit card readers got a big thumbs-up from Cupertino this week. Square's devices are hitting Apple's 235 US retail locations and Apple.com for $9.95 a pop -- plus the 2.75 percent that the startup takes off the backend each time you use the reader -- or you can always just sign up for a free one over on Square's site. The iPhone / iPad / iPod touch plug-in accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and yes, even American Express. The CEO of VeriFone will no doubt have plenty to say about the matter. Update: It turns out you get a $10 redemption code in the box when you buy a Square reader at an Apple store, so it is still technically free (just not, you know, when you buy it). [Thanks, Michael]
Intuit now offering GoPayment service without fees through February, also throws in a free card reader
Perhaps just to show that it is not hip to be a Square, Intuit has rolled out a serious incentive for businesses to jump on the GoPayment bandwagon. Since we last saw the mobile payment service, the company has decided to offer customers a free card reader (while supplies last) and no monthly service fees in an effort to expand its user base. Primarily aimed at those processing low sales volume, the deal includes $0.15 per-transaction fee. That's half the $0.30 fee for high-volume users, who still get the complimentary reader for signing up, but have to pay $12.95 monthly for the privilege. The offer is exclusively available to new customers, and the gratis reader only works with some phones (far fewer than the number of phones that work with the app itself), but hey, free is free. Let's just hope Intuit's system doesn't suffer from the security problems of its rival.
