PayNearMe Reaches 60,000+ Locations Overall With a Deal to Add Dollar General

PayNearMe Inc. has added discount-retailer Dollar General and its 19,000 stores to its merchant network. The deal will enable Dollar General customers to pay bills using digitized cash at the checkout counter. The addition of Dollar General, which operates stores in 47 states, brings PayNearMe’s merchant network to more than 60,000 retail locations in the United States.

The deal is also expected to increase the company’s presence in rural areas where many consumers rely on cash for payment. “The locations of the stores are important because it expands our footprint in an important market segment and brings greater convenience to Dollar General customers,” says Michael Kaplan, chief revenue officer and general manager for PayNearMe.

To initiate a bill payment, consumers present a scannable barcode on their smart phone to a cashier, pay in cash, and receive a receipt verifying the transaction is complete.

About three-quarters of the U.S. population lives within five miles of a Dollar General store, Kaplan adds. Since most Dollar General stores are located in rural neighborhood communities with a population of less than 20,000, miles away from grocery stores and large retailers, the deal enables Dollar General customers to pay their bills and purchase household and daily-use items, including groceries, at a single location, Kaplan adds.

A recent Harris Poll survey conducted in March found that cash is experiencing a comeback at the same time mobile payments have become the preferred channel for many banks and businesses. According to the survey, 53% of U.S. adults (and 69% of Gen Zers) use cash more than they did a year ago, a 19-point increase.

At the same time, nearly three-quarters of households whose reference person was between 15 and 24 years old used mobile banking as their primary method of account access in 2021, according to Bankrate. Making digitized cash convenient for more people—including low-income and rural consumers— addresses both those trends, PayNearMe contends.

PayNearMe processes a range of payment types including Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash App Pay, PayPal, Venmo, the ACH, and its proprietary cash network. Retailers within PayNearMe’s network include 7-Eleven, Walmart, Family Dollar, Casey’s General Stores, Dollar General and ACE Cash Express.