Card companies unite to offer simplified online payments

Four major payment card providers are introducing “click to pay” digital payment.

American Express, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa are introducing an online checkout method designed to be faster and more secure, based on the EMV Secure Remote Commerce (SRC) industry standard. The goal is to establish a simplified way for card payments to be made across Web and mobile sites, mobile apps, and connected devices. 

Following testing of the technology in market with retailers and card issuers, consumers can now click to pay at select U.S. retailers in October 2019, leading up to wide availability in early 2020.

Payment processors and platforms, including Adyen, Authorize.Net and CyberSource - Visa solutions, FIS, Global Payments, Mastercard Payment Gateway Services, and Stripe, are now offering click to pay to retailers. The initial focus will be on converting existing Masterpass and Visa Checkout retailers to click to pay.

Cinemark, Movember, and Rakuten are the first retailers to adopt click to pay on their websites. BassPro, JoAnn Fabric and Crafts, Papa John’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Shop.com, and Tickets.com will follow by the end of 2019. Consumers shopping on these sites can check out using the new payment method when they see a common click to pay button with network logos.

The new, interoperable checkout aims to make the digital payment experience as secure and simple as possible for everyone involved, and increase choice for all stakeholders. This standards-based approach allows consumers to make purchases without having to create or log into an account. The idea behind this is to mirror the consistent checkout experience that exists in physical stores, with one terminal and one way to pay irrespective of the retailer. The vision for the future of digital commerce is that the new button will replace the current online checkout process.

As a result, click to pay is designed to help reduce shopping cart abandonment rates and a way to offer multiple card brands for digital checkout in one seamless integration. For consumers, this is meant to provide greater consistency and fewer steps at checkout, regardless of their payment choice, and the elimination of manual key-entry of personal account numbers and information.

“We are always looking for ways to enhance the cinema experience, and providing a simpler, streamlined checkout for ticket-buying is a major part of that,” said Doug Fay, CTO, Cinemark. “We think the added convenience and security will help build loyalty, grow our business and make for quicker checkouts, giving moviegoers the most enjoyable experience possible.”