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The sales pitch behind many mobile payment systems is convenience, but some companies are learning that when a payment system becomes too convenient, the backlash can last for years.

Within five years, companies in the card business will have to choose a new label for their trade, especially if they embrace current technology and trends.

Consumers are notoriously reluctant to choose new payment habits. This week, LevelUp and 20 retailers forced the issue by taking away their choice. The "credit card diet," which took place Feb. 26, involved 20 retailers in Boston and Washington D.C. They all refused credit cards for one day.

MasterCard is bringing its mobile PayPass contactless payment technology to Brazil, in partnership with Itau, TIM, Redecard and Gemalto.

As merchants and issuers weigh their digital payments options, traditional incumbents and new entrants alike are finding their offerings being scrutinized over how much they offer — and whether they even fit with the company's existing payments strategy.

Could the cost of preparing the U.S. retail market for EMV smart-card technology over the next few years create problems for some retailers, adding to their burden in an already fragile economy?

JPMorgan Chase & Co. has positioned its merchant processing unit to provide far more services to merchant clients through its 10-year partnership with Visa Inc., a deal which potentially shifts more power to the issuer.

Another digital wallet is coming to the U.S. — but it's taking the scenic route.

JPMorgan Chase plans to launch Chase Merchant Services, a payments partnership with Visa, this year.

Foursquare is adding Visa and MasterCard to its special deals roster, enabling the social media company’s 30 million users to link their credit and debit cards to Foursquare to receive discounts at merchants, according to a report in Ad Age.

Visa is making several moves to demonstrate that it is willing to adopt new payments products on the Visa network. In an interview with PaymentsSource, Matt Dill, head of global business development and emerging products for Visa, provides a look into the card brand's future.

Amex says it will offer ezeClick to its card members in India as an online payment option that is meant to improve security and speed up the checkout process.

With its MasterPass program, MasterCard's mobile-pay strategy seems to be solidifying. But the details show that payments technology is still very fluid.

Visa Inc. is teaming up with phonemaker Samsung Electronics Co. to provide a financial program to enable mobile handsets to be used like a credit or debit card.

MasterCard Inc. today announced MasterPass, a digital wallet that supports mobile payments at the point of sale and online payments without the need to type a card number each time.

Today’s modern payment systems have their genesis in a number of older ventures that plied everything from the Web to biometrics to enable digital commerce. Some are gone, and some have evolved unrecognizably into their current form. Here’s a look.

Until recently, the card network generally prohibited its retail partners from offering special deals to customers that paid with a specific bank's credit or debit card. But Visa quietly lifted the ban on Feb. 1, paving the way for retailers to cut deals with card issuers, according to Visa group president of the Americas William Sheedy.

Barclaycard US has tapped a longtime bank technology executive to serve as chief operating officer.

The chip-and-PIN version of PayPal's Here mobile card reader is set to debut overseas this year, but the splash will be felt in the U.S. as well.

The National Grocers Association said its board voted to opt out of a multibillion-dollar antitrust settlement with Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. over merchant fees.