Google Glass, a headset built by Google to be the next big mobile device, doesn't do much yet. But its features open new possibilities to companies like Square, LevelUp and PayPal as they seek to take over the point of sale.

Square Inc. has ended its gift card service, according to a report from Reuters, about half a year after launching the program.

Birch Coffee has used Square's mobile card reader for its delivery service for about two years, and was one of the first to switch to the new Square Market e-commerce site ahead its launch.

It's been an eventful year so far in the payments industry. Exciting new technologies, dramatic executive turnover and ongoing courtroom drama have defined 2013's first six months.

Webster Bank's plotting its move into mobile payments, and part of its strategy is to let others make the mistakes, particularly when it comes to tapping payments data for purposes such as marketing.

Space travel and tourism are achievable dreams for the near future, and PayPal aims to reach the final frontier before its rivals do.

Bank of America, which is testing the use of QR codes for payment at five merchants and uses the same technology at the teller line, reports success in using the codes to enroll customers in its mobile banking app.

Square Inc. now allows its merchants to establish an online store through the Square Register app.

Square Inc. is active in the U.S., Canada and Japan — and a recent post to its Twitter account indicates its next move is imminent.

VeriFone is testing a mobile point of sale system built on the Windows 8 Pro operating system for use on tablets that integrate with retailers' existing systems.

Banks may believe they can provide the best mobile wallet experience — but most have done very little to create their own product.

Square has completed a major overhaul of the cloud-based Square Wallet, which allows consumers to make purchases from a linked payment card by "checking in" at a Square merchant. Here are some of the key differences in the new Wallet app.

Leading into Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference, starting Monday in San Francisco, a patent application surfaced that provides fresh details on Apple's approach to mobile payments.

Mobile payments company, Boku Inc. and PlayJam, which provides a platform for games on televisions, are working together to allow consumers to make purchases on smart TVs.

Though Apple doesn't have a dedicated mobile wallet, its plans for mobile payments are at least as old as the iPhone itself. Here is a rundown of the many ideas Apple has explored in its mobile payment patents.

Bell ID plans to offer software that will improve the appeal of Near Field Communication technology as a contactless payments option and quell debates over who should control the secure element in a phone handset.

Three years ago, Visa executives told investors that one of their goals was to enter new businesses, but Visa CEO Charlie Scharf, who joined the company in October, says that is no longer the case.

Mobile payments worldwide will grow significantly in transaction volume and value in 2013, but Near Field Communication payments won't be part of that momentum in North America, according to new Gartner research.

July Systems provides tools for merchants unfamiliar with programming to put together revenue-generating mobile experiences — with a hint of social media and a dash of mobile commerce.

Visa is aggressively building its presence with mobile point of sale vendors in an effort to attract the merchants that still don't accept electronic payments and rely heavily on cash and checks.