McDonald's Launches Mobile Card Acceptance in Thailand

McDonald's customers in Thailand now have the option to make credit card payments to a mobile device as part of the McDelivery 1711 service.

The mobile point of sale (mPOS) system allows patrons to pay by credit card for meals they order for delivery. The technology was developed in partnership with Swiff, a payments processor in Singapore, and AEON Thana Sinsap (Thailand) Public Company Ltd.

McDonald's has implemented or tested numerous mobile payment technologies across the globe. These include Seamless' SEQR wallet in Sweden, Belgium and Kuwait; mobile debit payments in Canada; a mobile wallet from NTT DoCoMo in Japan; and the Isis mobile wallet in the United States.

A growing number of consumers in Thailand show a preference for mobile payments, says Yasuhiko Kondo, managing director at AEON Thana Sinsap (Thailand) Public Company Ltd., in a March 28 press release.

This new payment channel is expected to help increase cashless payments anywhere from 10% to 20%, "and our McDelivery 1711 will increase by 30%," says Petcharat Uthaisang, marketing director of McThai Co., Ltd, in the release.

Home-delivery services across the globe face increasing demands to accept card payments, forcing the payment industry "to address the need to replace cash on delivery" and enhance mobility, says Suvicha Nalita, Swiff's country manager for Thailand, in the release.