John Adams

Card issuers, already fighting the threat of mobile wallet initiatives that draw funds directly from bank accounts, must now contend with a new partnership that makes carrier billing a more viable replacement for bank cards at the point of sale.

Kwik Chek Food Stores' new technology for updating gas prices at the pump also pushes those price changes to motorists using its mobile payment app, a feature that gets customers engaged with the retailer long before they pull up to the pump.

The latest innovations that enable and secure mobile payments are adding so much complexity to the deployment process that they may exceed the expertise of the companies putting them in place.

China may be removing UnionPay's regulatory monopoly over card payments clearing, but loosening its grip on the market is another matter.

The Costco cobrand card was a huge win for Visa, but nevertheless the card network's chief executive, Charlie Scharf, found himself defending the terms of the partnership.

The Costco cobrand card was a huge win for Visa, but nevertheless the card network's chief executive, Charlie Scharf, found himself defending the terms of the partnership.

Corporate payment cards usually have sophisticated restrictions or controls designed to make unauthorized use difficult, if not impossible.

The conventional wisdom is that the boom in mobile device adoption will encourage the use of mobile wallets. AT&T is betting that the opposite concept — that mobile payments can lead to more smartphone use — can also be true.

PayPal is extending its "One Touch" payment technology, obtained through its 2013 purchase of Braintree, to the Web, giving the eBay unit a significant new offering as it prepares to split off on its own.

Companies like Square, Roam and Leaf revolutionized small business by turning mobile devices into wireless cash registers, and Visa predicts the same concept can accelerate financial inclusion.

Mobile apps have become an ingrained part of air travel, providing everything from boarding passes to entertainment, and are increasingly handling payments as well.

Apple has had a rough time signing major merchants to accept Apple Pay in stores, but it has finally won the support of Best Buy, a nationwide retailer that swore off Near Field Communication-based payments years ago.

Verifone's Vin D'Agostino insists there's a special mix of cloud technology and hardware that can address all of merchants' needs — but only if they are willing to buy it all at once.

Discover, the only major U.S. card network that did not support Apple Pay at the mobile wallet's launch, has inked a deal with Apple, eliminating some of the fragmentation in the mobile wallet's deployment.

Discover, the only major U.S. card network that did not support Apple Pay at the mobile wallet's launch, has inked a deal with Apple, eliminating some of the fragmentation in the mobile wallet's deployment.

Discover, the only major U.S. card network that did not support Apple Pay at the mobile wallet's launch, has inked a deal with Apple, eliminating some of the fragmentation in the mobile wallet's deployment.

Citigroup and AT&T have unveiled a new credit card that offers a credit for a new smartphone, potentially boosting adoption of Citi Wallet.

PayPal is investing heavily in technology to make sure it is properly equipped for the challenge ahead of it when its split from eBay is finalized.

Even with the card networks' U.S. EMV migration deadline half a year away, basic knowledge of EMV technology is still poor. Fime is addressing this concern by offering its expertise to American issuers such as credit unions and community banks, which may need additional knowledge but are reluctant to outsource their entire EMV project.

MasterCard is betting that there is a third choice besides plastic cards and mobile wallets. And that choice is one that has sputtered in the past.