LevelUp is eliminating one of the fees merchants pay to accept cards through its mobile-payment system, which uses QR codes to access pre-enrolled debit or credit cards when shopping.

At first, Google seemed to have all of the necessary ingredients for a mobile wallet and Isis had the uphill climb of convincing banks to agree to a system designed by a group of telcos. Isis now has several top banks firmly behind it, but it faces many challenges as well.

For years, the payments industry has been waiting for Apple to disrupt the market with a payment-capable iPhone. Some are finally getting sick of the wait.

The Twitter account @NeedADebitCard shames people who post photos of their debit cards online — but as anti-fraud systems advance, how much danger is there from these photos?

Mobile devices can be used to add a second factor of authentication for bank accounts, but they can also be an easy factor for fraudsters to misuse.

"A burglar cannot rob 300 homes in one night, but a cybercriminal can attack 300 mobile devices at a time," said Dr. Markus Jakobsson, principal scientist, consumer security at PayPal.

Citigroup is testing new mobile payment features with its U.S. commercial cardholders in anticipation of a global rollout.

To hear Dan Wagner tell it, one would think the CEO of London-based mPowa was ready to enter the ring for a prizefight against all comers in the world of mobile card-based payments.

Almost a year ago, the telecommunications companies backing the Isis mobile wallet venture were clear that they would rely on Near Field Communication. But as technology advances, there may be wisdom in adopting an alternative.

Banks should be in the forefront of a payments world moving toward mobile commerce, according to Monitise CEO Alastair Lukies.

Mobile wallet mania is experiencing another surge that some consider overblown.

Views appear mixed on whether PCI compliance matters with mobile payment dongles, but one independent sales organization says adherence to the data-security standard is a no-brainer.

Inside Secure is opening up a Near Field Communication technology patent-licensing program on the heels of another company exiting the sphere.

The Girl Scout troops are once again proving to be an ideal test case for mobile card acceptance.

With pilots nearly complete, mobile-imaging software provider Mitek Systems, perhaps best known for its check capture technology, expects the launch soon of similar imaging services to help users make payments instead of just deposits.

Microsoft Corp. appears to be gunning to increase its relatively low profile in smartphones by beating Apple Inc. in announcing an NFC-based mobile wallet.

Square has shut out independent sales organizations as distributors of its mobile card reader. Now one ISO has gone on the offensive by offering its own.

Not to be outdone by other card brands or mobile network operators, MasterCard Worldwide and PrePay Solutions plan to launch a Mobile PayPass prepaid account for smartphones in a few months.

Even as Apple's Passbook app portends a mobile-payments world without near-field communication technology, ACI Worldwide is pushing ahead with NFC through an expanded pact with the smart-card technology provider Bell ID.

If consumers embrace a system in which they pay for coffee at Starbucks with their smartphones, will they do the same for Whoppers at Burger King?