MPaay Combines Loyalty, Rewards, And Payments in One App

By Kevin Woodward

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With the recent release of MPaay by New Media Insight Group Inc., merchants have another option when considering a smart-phone app that can provide mobile loyalty, rewards, and payments capabilities.

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The app combines the three functions for iOS, Android, and Windows mobile devices and can be customized for merchants for $1,000. “Merchants have complete control over their loyalty and rewards programs,” a New Media Insight spokesman says. “They decide what to offer to their customers and when to offer it.” The loyalty and rewards functions carry fees starting at $25 per month or $1 per action, such as a Facebook share or refer-a-friend, made by a consumer.

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Consumers choose from three options to make a payment. One is via existing point-of-sale terminals at merchants that accept MPaay. The app can generate an MPaay account number to enter into the payment terminal.

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Another option is via CloudPay. To use CloudPay, merchants must set up an account. They also need a WiFi-enabled smart phone or tablet. Consumers must set up a mobile-wallet account with New Media Insight’s mCard service. Consumers enroll a card on file with CloudPay. Charges are made against that card when they make purchases. Consumers also can set per-transaction maximum amounts.

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A third payment option relies on near-field communication (NFC) using the host card emulation variant. Unlike NFC wallets that depend on a chip embedded in the phone to house payment credentials, wallets using host card emulation rely on credentials delivered from cloud servers using tokens to mask actual account data.

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Cave Creek, Ariz.-based New Media Insight says MPaay is available from distributors, such as national chains, national brands, and other large-scale businesses. These distributors, which can brand the service, may typically earn revenue from MPaay by taking a percentage of each transaction or by offering other items to merchants. New Media Insight did not identify its distributors.

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“MPaay is an easy and affordable way for them to deliver these customized services and tap into new ways of interacting with and servicing their customers,” the spokesman says.