CardFree Launches Partnership with Mercury Payment Systems

Mobile payments startup CardFree and processor Mercury Payment Systems have entered a partnership to provide their clients with a broader range of services.

The partnership will allow CardFree to combine core payment processing and merchant acquiring with its current services, according to a March 5 press release. Meanwhile, Mercury will offer retailers CardFree’s mobile and loyalty tools.

CardFree, which launched in 2012, specializes in providing small and mid-size restaurant chains with a range of mobile payment services, including mobile gift cards and special offers. The San Francisco-based company’s executives helped develop the wildly successful Starbucks mobile payment app prior to founding CardFree.

Mercury, based in Durango, Colo., focuses on providing merchants with social point of sale systems that aim to increase customer engagement.