Thoughts on the future of mobile payments?

[Rene Ritchie]

Hey Dan! Longtime fan of your work!

I'm lucky to live in a place where tap-to-pay is ubiquitous but it seems like every terminal has a completely different interface. Some I can tap immediately. Others I have to hit a few buttons first (always different buttons in different places, of course). Some let me add a tip prior to tapping, others refuse to let you enter a tip unless you degrade back to pin and chip.

Any thoughts on whether or not this will become less confusing and more unified over time?

Thanks for the new forum!

 

[Daniel Bader]

Hey Dan! Longtime fan of your work!

I'm lucky to live in a place where tap-to-pay is ubiquitous but it seems like every terminal has a completely different interface. Some I can tap immediately. Others I have to hit a few buttons first (always different buttons in different places, of course). Some let me add a tip prior to tapping, others refuse to let you enter a tip unless you degrade back to pin and chip.

Any thoughts on whether or not this will become less confusing and more unified over time?

Thanks for the new forum!

Hi Rene, nice to meet you!

I think mobile payments will continue to bleed into the notion of merely spending money anywhere. As convenient as credit cards are, increasingly people are leaving behind their wallets as more and more of their cards are integrated into their phones. With services like Android Pay and Apple Pay natively combining payment, loyalty and coupons into one place, it will soon just be easier to have one thing in your pocket to make payments.

And as you know, payments are not the only thing that comprises the mobile wallet. It's all about making it easier to do things with money, even if its fulfilling coupons or using loyalty points towards a wider variety of commercial products.