Square who? Intuit brings its GoPayment mobile card reader to Verizon Wireless stores

Intuit and Verizon Wireless announced this morning that they will be partnering to offer Intuit’s GoPayment mobile card reader in Verizon stores, bringing the device to more than 2,300 retail locations across the US.

Aside from the obvious benefit of more widespread availability, the partnership shines some much-needed light on Intuit’s two-year-old GoPayment technology. GoPayment launched a year before the more hyped mobile payment startup Square. which has made its tiny mobile credit card reader synonymous with mobile payments.

Intuit’s GoPayment credit card reader slides into your phone or tablet’s headphone jack (yes, just like Square’s), and works together with a free app to accept payments. It opens the door for you to take payments anywhere, which could be particularly useful for small business owners. GoPayment supports iOS, Android, and BlackBerry devices. It can also synchronize with Intuit’s QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online accounting software, a major plus compared to Square.

As part of the partnership, Verizon Wireless customers will be able to get the GoPayment credit card reader for free when they activate their GoPayment account and mail in a $29.97 rebate. Intuit would have been better off figuring out another way to offer the discount to customers, since a mail-in rebate isn’t as tempting to consumers as an instant discount.

Square, on the other hand, has offered its mobile card reader for free from the start, which has likely accounted for its massive growth and hype. Square’s card reader is also sold at Apple stores for $10, but you instantly get that money back when you sign up for a Square account.

There’s no monthly or transaction fee for the basic GoPayment service, but you will get charged 2.7 percent for swiped transactions. For heavy users, Intuit also offers a $12.95 a month plan with a 1.7 percent rate for swipe transactions. Verizon Wireless users will receive two free months of the monthly plan when they sign up. GoPayment can also support up to 50 users on a single account.

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Tags: GoPayment, mobile payments, smartphones, tablets

Companies: Intuit, Square, Verizon Wireless

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Square upgrades iOS app for faster purchases, launches Card Case app

Mobile payments startup Square on Monday launched a new version of its iOS app that speeds up purchases and no longer requires signatures for payments under $25. The company also officially launched its Card Case app for customers who use Square merchants.

The new apps announcement adds to a long list of headlines Square has made lately as a serious disruptor in mobile payments. In late June, the company raised a reported $100 million with a $1 billion valuation. Since it started, Square has shipped more than 500,000 of its credit card readers to vendors to process on-the-go transactions. The company is now responsible for more than $3 million in transactions a day.

Square was also in the news recently when hackers revealed its software made it easy to commit credit card fraud. The company responded to the reports by saying it actively guarded against fraud like all other credit card processors.

Square’s upgraded iOS application speeds up payments by removing several screens from the transaction process. Not only does it take away the requirement for signatures on purchases under $25, but it also improves the tipping interface to make it easier. The updated app adds the option to sell items that cost $0.00 in case a merchant wants to give away an item while still marking a transaction.

The company launched its Card Case app for customers who frequently visit merchants that use Square’s technology. The application makes it possible for shoppers to browse daily menus, store digital receipts, and pay by saying their name. A peek at the slick new app can be seen below.

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Tags: iOS, iOS apps, mobile payments

Companies: Apple, Square

People: Jack Dorsey

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Look out, Square! Erply releases credit card reader for iPhone, iPad

Retail management software company Erply is planning a new mobile credit card reader for iOS devices, the company announced today.

Much like competitors Square and Intuit, Erply’s mobile card reader attachment will connect to iPads and iPhones and transmit a person’s credit card data to its own point of sale software for processing payments. It also connects to Erply’s inventory management software, which should cut down on record keeping for any of the company’s 20,000 clients.

Businesses can purchase an Erply card reader attachment for $50. The company charges a 1.9 percent transaction fee, which is considerably less than the 2.75 percent fee Square charges. However, while Square’s software is free to merchants, Erply’s software has a monthly cost ranging from $100 to $1,000.

But Erply’s credit card reader offers a few other advantages over its competitors. One of the most notable is probably that it brings NFC (a short-range communication technology used for mobile payments and information transfer) to iOS devices — putting the iPhone on par with Google’s Nexus S phone.

As VentureBeat’s Devindra Hardawar reported in March, Apple chose not to include the technology in the iPhone 5 because it was worried about the lack of a clear industry NFC standard.

Another notable advantage: Erply’s card reader connects through an iOS device’s charging port, meaning transactions might be more secure. By comparison, Square’s device connects through the audio port, which is susceptible to hacking, as demonstrated at this year’s Black Hat security conference.

Image via Erply

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Tags: credit card reader, NFC

Companies: Erply, Square

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