February, 2017

• 1 February

  The Time Value of Money

  

  Can anything beat rewards as an inducement to get consumers to use mobile payments? Some experts say apps that let you skip the line might just do the trick. Mobile wallets are still relatively new technology, but the payments business has had enough experience with them to come to at …

November, 2016

• 1 November

  Mobile-Wallet Roundup: Action And Reaction

  

  Two years after the launch of Apple Pay, here’s a look at Cupertino’s entry and at services from the other tech titans that have joined the mobile-payments game—and at how financial institutions are reacting. Of the three major third-party wallets, Apple Pay is now 2 years old while Alphabet Inc.’s …

October, 2016

• 1 October

  Beyond the Coffee Plantation

  

  There have been some successes, but loyalty programs tied into mobile-payment systems are still few and far between. What will it take to strengthen the relationship? When you think of loyalty programs seamlessly integrated with mobile payments, only two examples loom large in the minds of the public and many …

September, 2016

• 1 September

  What’s the Matter With Wallets?

  

  With a few exceptions, mobile wallets have so far held scant allure for consumers. Why is that, and what could change it? Most mobile-wallet managers don’t like to talk about it, but their products have a consumer problem—in that people who have the necessary smart phones just aren’t all that …

June, 2016

• 1 June

  Gravitational Pull

  New technologies and market entrants are exerting downward pressure on acceptance costs for mobile payments. But how much longer will these costs matter? Card payments can be exceedingly complex, but in some ways they’re simple. Whip out a functioning credit or debit card to pay in a store and the …