In theory, all parties benefit when consumers have their choice of payment options, but the deluge of new technologies has led issuers to respond in ways that could create lasting frustration for consumers and merchants.

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 Weve joint venture is breaking up, with Telefonica O2 buying out the U.K. telcos that joined it four years ago in planning a country-wide mobile payment system.

Home Depot Inc. plans to enable Apple Inc.'s mobile-payment platform at its more than 2,000 stores, making it the largest retailer to accept Apple Pay.

PayByPhone is bringing mobile payments to parking meters in cities around the world, and the vendor argues that its platform will attract consumers that don't want a different app for every city they travel to.

A big problem holding back mobile payments is a "chicken-and-egg" issue that Apple Pay's U.S. rollout and pending debut in Europe can reverse.

Wallaby Financial, a company that makes an app to help consumers determine which cards provide the best rewards for each purchase, has agreed to market the Wocket Smart Wallet device to its customers.

Visa Europe would like to be where Apple Inc. is — at least in terms of its technology and product development.

The Merchant Customer Exchange, backed by Walmart, Target and other mega-retailers, now operates in a market where Apple changed the ground rules. Though the initiative has yet to formally launch its CurrentC mobile wallet, MCX has already been forced to adapt many times.

Offering consumers more extensive ways to shop and pay whenever, wherever and however has become a competitive advantage for retailers. So what can the accounts receivable management (ARM) Industry learn from the retailers clamoring to provide their customers with a perfect "omnichannel" experience?

Everlink Payment Services Inc. of Markham, Ontario, has introduced a new anti-fraud service that allows Interac debit card users to activate and deactivate their accounts for security.

If banks and retailers want a piece of the mobile wallet pie that Apple Pay is steadily gobbling up, Nacha says it has a formula to achieve that.

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.

Ironically, two current U.S. payment security initiatives – the EMV chip-card migration and the faster payments project – will prompt hackers to find new ways to compromise banking networks.

On Amazon.com, shoppers can spend hours browsing and buying products, watching movies and listening to music; on the Apple Watch, however, Amazon is challenged to complete all interactions in a matter of seconds.

MCX CEO Dekkers Davidson has left the merchant-led mobile payments initiative, and will be replaced on an interim basis by Brian Mooney, a former Bank of America and First Data payments executive.

Best Buy's move to accept Apple Pay in its stores is the clearest public sign yet that the Merchant Customer Exchange has radically altered its vision of and ambitions regarding a retailer mobile wallet.

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.