Card companies to globally expand simplified online payments

Four major payment card providers are preparing to make “click-to-pay” digital payment available outside the U.S.

In October 2019, American Express, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa introduced an online checkout method designed to be faster and more secure, based on the EMV Secure Remote Commerce (SRC) industry standard. 

Now, the companies are each beginning technical preparations for global expansion of click to pay online checkout in additional geographies including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and the U.K., with others to follow.

Click-to-pay aims to make online checkout simple and secure for consumers across web and mobile sites, mobile apps, and connected devices by replacing manual key entry of personal account numbers and information at checkout. The digital checkout solution is designed to mirror the consistent, interoperable checkout experience in physical stores, with one terminal to accept all card payments. 

Retailers can get access to a single virtual terminal for multiple card brands, designed to deliver a simpler and smoother overall digital checkout experience for consumers. The vision for the future is that click-to-pay will provide consumers a streamlined experience across any digital checkout environment or network.

Since initial U.S. launch in October 2019, more than 10,000 retailers have been enabling their customers with the option to click to pay including Cinemark, Crate & Barrel, Expedia, Fresh Direct, Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts, Joseph A. Bank, the marketplace division of Rakuten U.S., Saks Fifth Avenue, and SHOP.com. Additional retailers around the world that are committed to supporting click-to-pay include Emirates, Mitre 10 (New Zealand) Ltd., Noel Leeming, 1-day, Pizza Hut Australia, The Warehouse, Torpedo7, Ticketek, and Warehouse Stationery. 

“Right now, more than ever, demand for fresh food and grocery delivery is at an all-time high, with many new customers trying FreshDirect for the first time,” said Tammy Berentson, chief marketing officer, FreshDirect. “For these new customers, as well as for our loyal following, Click to Pay offers confidence that their transactions will be simple, efficient and secure.”

To grow acceptance beyond existing retailers, each network is beginning work with its payments service providers, gateways and acquirers to prepare for click-to-pay. In the U.S., partners including ACI Worldwide, Aurus, Blackbaud, BlueSnap, Braintree (a PayPal Service), Cybersource, Global Payments, Mastercard Payment Gateway Services, and Square are providing their merchants with the option to enable click-to-pay. Additional support for expansion comes from international partners including Checkout.com, Noon Payments, SafeCharge, and Windcave.