A new American startup company called Card.io has introduced a mobile payment system that allows consumers to photograph their credit card using the camera feature of their cell phone, removing the need to manually type the card’s information into the phone’s mobile wallet using the keypad.
Smartphone apps activate the camera device on the device when using the software from Card.io when the user is ready to pay for the purchase. The customer must then center the image of the credit card inside a green frame defined on the screen and take the picture. The Card.io software allows the card’s information to be scanned so that the data can be utilized to complete the transaction.
Card.io has explained that the primary benefit to the system is that it means that the customer no longer needs to try to awkwardly enter his or her credit card data into the phone using the keypad of the mobile device, as well as the fact that there is no requirement to carry an additional piece of hardware with them.
The Card.io private beta software is now releasing its SDK to application developers for iOS, so that they can incorporate it into apps. Card.io has also stated that it is ready to align with MogoTix for the sale of event tickets, SamaSource for donations, and local services at TaskRabbit. They have also announced that there is an Android SDK in the works.
One of the founders of Card.io, Mike Mettler, said that “We’re betting that, over the long term, software will win out over hardware-dependent payment solutions.”
