Can consumers be relied upon to jump onto the latest tech, regardless of price, practicality, and whether the product at hand …
Mobile Payments
JCPenney: Simple Pricing Sure Can Be Complicated
When trying to simplify something, the first rule is: Don’t make it more confusing. And yet, while one of the main focuses of JCPenney’s radical retail overhaul is a simplification of pricing, shoppers seem more confused than …
Why Smartphones Won’t Be Replacing Wallets Anytime Soon
For quite some time, we’ve heard that smartphones will replace wallets. Instead of using cash or plastic, the day will come, likely soon, when consumers will simply wave, tap, or swipe their phones for payment. While there are …
Would You Buy Stuff at a Garage Sale With a Credit Card?
Every summer, phone poles fill up with colorful fliers advertising events like garage sales, flea markets and bake sales. But this year, you’re more likely than ever to pay with plastic for that tchotchke or cupcake. A new study …
Salvation Army Bell Ringers Now Take Credit Cards
While you’ll still hear the Salvation Army’s jingling bells this year, you may hear less change jangling into its red collection buckets.
New Tool Uses Webcams to ‘Read’ Credit Cards
There’s been a lot of buzz lately about mobile payments technologies like Square, a little white box that plugs into an iPhone and essentially turns it into a credit card processing tool. Small business owners and entrepreneurs …
Jonathan’s Card: The Starbucks ‘Get a Coffee, Give a Coffee’ Social Experiment
The “take a penny, leave a penny” concept works pretty well at diners and convenience stores. But what if, instead of pennies, the currency being shared was digital, and the payments were made by mobile phone? That’s what one …
Paying by Phone Is Riskier Than You Think
Technological advances and the proliferation of smartphones have given consumers an increasing number of ways to pay for goods and services using their mobile phone. Many of these options are similar to online bill paying, in …
The Perils of Mobile Payments
It’s been hard not to miss the steady stream of news suggesting that some time soon the U.S. will catch up with the rest of the world when it comes to using mobile phones and other devices as digital wallets. If you don’t …
Mobile Payments Are Coming — But When?
Tech companies and the financial industry promise us that smartphones will replace our wallets. Analysts say "don't hold your breath." Find out how these tools will make everything from shopping to commuting easier — and how …
