Payments startup Dwolla Corp. eliminated its transaction fee last week on all payments under $10, a bold move in itself, but it apparently has much bigger things in store. For one thing, the Des Moines, Iowa-based company is testing a system that co-founder Ben Milne says will make automated …

  A mobile comparison-shopping app that launched a digital wallet late last month says it has signed up more than 10,000 wallet users and is adding new ones at the rate of 2,500 a week in a nascent business that has attracted major players like Google Inc. and Visa Inc. …

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In a marked escalation of a conflict that began when MasterCard Inc. and Visa Inc. raised small-ticket debit card interchange rates, USA Technologies Inc. has stopped accepting MasterCard debit cards in its wireless network of 100,000-plus vending machines and other unattended card-accepting locations. The Malvern, Pa.-based operator turned off MasterCard …

  One of the many questions the Durbin Amendment has raised—and that won’t likely be answered for months, perhaps years—is just what will become of the movement to bring PIN debit to online purchases.   After all, much of the rationale for PIN debit, from the online merchant’s point of …

  PayPal (Sort of) Embraces NFC …   With rivals like Google Inc., Visa Inc., and Master­Card Inc. having jumped into near-field communication technology, there has been no little speculation in the payments business about when, or whether, PayPal Inc. would take the plunge.   Wonder no more. The eBay …

  By Lauri Giesen   Now that the Durbin rates are in place for debit cards, questions are swirling about debit’s growth prospects, the fate of PIN debit and of the small-ticket market, and the implications for prepaid cards.       Imagine a world where banks try to get …

  By Steve Mott   Scratch most of the proposed or existing wallets, and you’ll find the same payments infrastructure everyone is trying to move beyond. What’s needed is an alternative that benefits consumers and merchants as much as it does banks, networks, and carriers.       The rising …

  Discover can point to some major triumphs since it was launched by Sears a quarter-century ago, not least its success in taking on Visa and MasterCard. But a fast-changing payments landscape offers no assurance of future success. Discover’s plan: It pays to network.   By Jim Daly     …

n By Jane Adler   Retailers and consumers are shifting from plastic to virtual gift cards, drawn by instant availability and ease of distribution. Is the tangible gift card on its way out?       With holiday sales in their sights, retailers are expanding their gift card offerings with …