Mobile payment popularity surges thanks to new devices

Though several reports in recent months indicated that the United States was lagging behind in certain forms of alternative credit and payment processing - like EMV chips and mobile payments - the end of the summer seemed to mark a major shift. This could be the result of more manufacturers of smartphones and other devices upping their adoption rates. Macworld reports that mobile payments are now rapidly becoming the processing method of choice among both merchants and consumers in the United States, marked by two tech giants' newest offerings. According to the source, the Google Wallet and the new rumored iPhone will both be far more commonplace in the coming years. Google's Android and Apple's iOS operating systems have a firm hold on the market share of smartphones, and since both are deploying near field communication (NFC)-enabled devices, the source believes consumers will assuredly use them for purchases. Further, apps that support the payment processing technology have also increased in popularity. Merchants will need to consider this when choosing a payment processing strategy, as many believe cash and traditional lines of credit will rapidly wane in popularity over the next year, being replaced by alternative payments and forms of credit.