Topic

Alternative Payments

Payments executives, technology vendors and merchants are developing and testing systems that let people make purchases electronically without credit or debit cards. Retailers say making it easier to spend money could attract more customers. But many of these methods have the potential to eat into banks' interchange revenue, which is making financial companies uncomfortable.

VeriFone Broadens Paymedia

VeriFone Systems on Monday unveiled its Paymedia add-on for gas stations to allow them to accept new payment types and to present advertising on the pump's screen.

Venture Aims to Exchange Gift Cards into Bill-Pay Funds

ChargeSmart, an online consumer bill-pay firm, and online card exchange Plastic Jungle are working together to turn unspent gift cards into a new currency for online bill payment.

Dwolla Dashboard to Give Banks Deep Analysis on Mobile Use

The alternative payments provider is developing technology to help banks cut fraud on transactions from mobile devices — and also help decide which mobile devices to use.

In Digital Wallets, Visa Says Size Matters; History Says Otherwise

Visa says its size will help it succeed in launching its own digital wallet, a market where many established payment companies have learned that bigger isn't always better.

PayDivvy Takes Bill Payment Social

PayDivvy, a startup which launched to the public Tuesday, is trying to make bill-payment software more social and take on mainstream, bank-offered services in the process.

SafetyPay Strikes Deal with JetPay

SafetyPay Inc. will provide JetPay LLC with a worldwide payment platform and access to a suite of alternative payment options.

Maker of Angry Birds, Popular Mobile Game, Enters Payments Field

After making its Angry Birds the dominant game on two mobile platforms, the developer Rovio Mobile is taking flight in a new line: payments.

Alternative-Payment Provider Flattr Stands By WikiLeaks as Others Flee

Flattr's refusal to cut off WikiLeaks underscores the raison d'etre for alt-pay firms: consumers want a way to send money to organizations that don't take conventional cards.

Mobile Payments Inheriting the Problems of Contactless

A host of glitches suggest contactless technology may not be the mobile payments panacea for tattered magnetic stripes and other problems with plastic cards.