Up against determined competition from big technology companies, financial institutions have always reassured themselves that they still have an edge in payments when it comes to consumer trust. Now, that edge appears to be eroding fast. On the question of consumer trust, banks and financial institutions are losing ground to …

  Card-linked offers appear to be gaining consumer favor, according to results of a survey from the CardLinx Association, a Burlingame, Calif.-based trade group. Over the past 12 months, consumer use of card-linked offers increased 92%, the association said. It surveyed more than 50 companies. Other survey results show 95% …

Visa Inc. on Friday reported that it had signed a definitive agreement to buy privately-held TrialPay Inc., provider of an offers platform that connects merchants with consumers through targeted promotions. Visa will integrate TrialPay into its portfolio of services for merchants beyond pure payment processing. Financial terms of the pending …

For years, merchants like Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc. have streamlined online payments by letting consumers charge stored credit cards with a single click, using a technique called card on file. Now, a similar concept is coming to carrier billing, the payment method used by merchants to charge online purchases …

A flood of payments initiatives has come out of the Valley, with more on the way. What is it about this business that gets the mercury rising out there? Where do people in payments look for innovation? Yes, some of it shows up in Boston, a little in Chicago and …

According to the 2014 World Retail Banking Report from Capgemini and Efma, less than 40% (a decrease from 41.6% in 2013 to 39.5% in 2014) of customers globally reported having positive customer experiences with their bank. The main reason for this dissatisfaction is the bank’s failure to develop a comprehensive …

With the recent release of MPaay by New Media Insight Group Inc., merchants have another option when considering a smart-phone app that can provide mobile loyalty, rewards, and payments capabilities. n Consumers choose from three options to make a payment. One is via existing point-of-sale terminals at merchants that accept …

  PayPal Inc. will use electronic gift card services from InComm Holdings Inc., a move that will enable PayPal to expand the number of retailers’ gift cards that it sells on the PayPal Digital Gifts store and in the eBay marketplace. PayPal, a unit of San Jose, Calif.-based eBay Inc., …

Surprise shipping costs are the leading cause of shopping-cart abandonment. Meanwhile, shopping apps are popular, but not used as much as you might think. And while social networks have grown in popularity every year, they have a surprisingly small influence on e-commerce buying decisions. n Asked what factors cause them …

  Two payment-services companies have separately introduced services designed to make it easier for merchants and consumers to engage in e-commerce and mobile commerce. Payments-and-authentication-services provider Jumio Inc.’s newest service aims to make it easier for consumers to shop using smart phones and tablets. Palo Alto, Calif.-based Jumio says its …