Continuing efforts to get its Serve digital wallet into consumers’ hands, American Express Co. has signed a deal with Sprint Nextel to put the payments application on the Sprint Zone website, where Sprint customers go to manage their mobile-phone accounts, Amex announced July 18.
The Sprint agreement marks Amex’s first deal with a wireless carrier, David, Messenger, Amex executive vice president of enterprise growth, tells PaymentsSource.
Amex launched Serve in March (
Serve is a digital wallet similar to PayPal that supports person-to-person funds transfers via email, includes a prepaid card for ATM withdrawals and purchases, and has a downloadable app for Google Inc. Android and Apple Inc. smartphones, he says. Serve soon will support Microsoft Corp. and Research In Motion Ltd. operating systems, Messenger notes.
Consumers who qualify for a Serve account may use the digital service to make purchases anywhere Amex is accepted, pay their Sprint mobile-phone bills, and eventually redeem offers on goods and services.
The significance of working with a mobile carrier is the need to drive consumer enrollment, Rick Oglesby, analyst at Aite Group, tells PaymentsSource. “It’s a good strategy to try and drive adoption,” he says, noting AmEx’s plans to make Serve workable with Near Field Communication chips also is a good move for the card brand.
Amex also has initiated other efforts to promote the adoption of Serve, including signing a marketing deal with AOL Inc.’s Patch news network (
Amex tested Serve in Eugene, Ore., in April (
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