New Mobile Card Payment Solution Aims for Enterprise

Sage Payment Solutions yesterday announced a new mobile payments service that can enable merchants using any type of mobile device to conduct credit and debit card transactions. While Sage president Greg Hammermaster acknowledges a mobile payments solution is nothing new, he emphasizes the new Sage Mobile Payments provides end-to-end encryption while taking away the additional fees accrued by using a mobile card payments service such as Square.

"We’re focusing on the mobile payment as a business tool, not as a gadget, like you’re seeing in themobile payments market today," Hammermaster says.

He adds Sage is able to partner with banks to provide the solution to corporate and small business clients, and that encryption and pricing could be a differentiator in widespread adoption of a mobile solution.

"A lot of folks out there right now do not have dual encryption in those areas," Hammermaster says. "That’s not the right thing to do."

As with Square's hardware component, Sage offers iPhone, Android and BlackBerry users an optional card reader. Otherwise transactions can be conducted on mobile browsers.

Hammermaster says the solution is available now for banks and businesses, and that, after a setup fee, requires a monthly payment for service. This is in contrast to some other mobile card payment providers that charge no monthly fee, but rather make money off transaction fees.

"What we’re doing is making this an enterprise capable solution that fits with the enterprise environment," Hammermaster adds.