Mobile payments are heating up -- just as Square gets coveted space at Apple retail stores, Intuit is launching a counteroffensive by making their free GoPayment app universal, bringing payment processing to the iPad as well.
TechCrunch is reporting that Intuit’s free GoPayment app is now universal, bringing their payment processing software to the larger iPad screen as well as the iPhone and iPod touch. The move comes on the heels of competitor Square getting their own credit card reader into Apple’s retail stores, where it sells for a mere $9.99.
“This optimized version of the GoPayment app makes mobile payments easier with a new layout that takes full advantage of iPad's large, high-resolution display and Multi-Touch interface,” Intuit announced Thursday in a press release. “It also includes new features such as the ability to add product photos, making it easier to find a product and complete a sale. GoPayment is also compatible with the free Intuit Credit Card Reader letting users save time by swiping credit cards instead of entering card data manually.”
Did you catch that? Intuit is giving away their card reader when you sign up for the GoPayment service, which is free of monthly fees for low-volume users who process less than $1,000 per month in transactions (higher volumes get kicked up to the $12.95 per month plan, but pay much less in transaction fees). For their part, Square also gives away their card reader when you sign up online, and they maintain just one simple payment option -- a 2.75 percent fee for each transaction.
“Our new iPad app can help just about anyone who needs an easy and affordable way to process credit cards while on the go,” said vice president and general manager Chris Hylen of Intuit’s Payment Solutions division. “We definitely see iPad as a natural complement to our existing point of sale retail store solutions as more people look to process payments wherever they are -- in a store, at an event or even at home.”
Competitor Square has had their own iPad-optimized app for more than a year now, so Intuit is late to the tablet game -- but it’s anyone’s guess who will be the leader in this wide-open field.
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