It will take years before the mobile phone fulfills its promise as a true mobile payments device. Or will it?
If you don’t mind a bit of a work-around and you limit your purchases to MasterCard PayPass-enabled merchants, you can pay by cell phone today thanks to Blaze Mobile.
How it works:
- Download the Blaze Mobile Wallet at the Apple App Store (iTunes link), cost $1.99 (note 2).
- Sign up for a Blaze pre-paid MasterCard issued by MetaBank
- Affix the MasterCard PayPass RFID sticker to the back of your iPhone
- Wave and pay at MasterCard PayPass terminals
Granted, few people will go through this trouble just to buy an Arby’s sandwich without pulling out their plastic (note 1). However, it shows that the technology is available today to enable at least some mobile payments. And for financial institutions, it provides a cool way to differentiate debit and credit cards.
Notes:
1. According to MasterCard, there are 463 PayPass locations within 25 miles of my Seattle location.
2. The wallet also works on other mobile platforms, see the company’s website.
3. Previous post on paying via credit card stickers (here).
4. For more info see our Online Banking Report on Mobile Payments.