Joining the MasterPass club means the retailers’ consumers can pay for purchases with any enrolled payment card, anywhere online or in-app, using any device, eliminating the time-consuming need to enter detailed payment and shipping information with every purchase.

“Consumers are embracing a digital lifestyle and, to meet this shift, the shopping and payment experiences needed to evolve,” said Beth Kitchener, business leader for U.S. Markets Communications, at MasterCard, Purchase, NY.

“MasterPass is our response to this and to our 1.9 billion cardholders around the world that want a more simplified and secure shopping experience.”

70,000 retailers
More than 70,000 online retailers globally accept MasterPass. MasterPass will soon also be available on Blue Nile, Broadway.com, Chegg, Fareportal, CheapO Air, Market America and shop.com, as well as on the American Red Cross site for donations.

Responding to consumers’ mobile-lifestyle embrace. 

Early last year, MasterCard announced that MasterPass would be integrated into mobile applications such as Starbucks Australia and Major League Baseball for in-app purchases.

“MasterCard is not in the wallet business, we’re in the business of helping our partners — issuers and merchants alike — enrich their offerings so they can deliver a richer, deeper, customized end user experience,” Ms. Kitchener said. “As a company, we’re making investments to drive this convergence and push the technology forward.”

The most noticeable factor among retailers signing up for MasterPass is that they span a wide array of industries and business sizes – from the travel industry to fashion, from niche markets to mega-chain brands.

With MasterPass, MasterCard is addressing the way that consumers are increasingly shopping with their favorite retailers using a retail branded app at home, on the go and in-store.

Shoppers want to save time and avoid checkout hassles as they shop online for everything from designer shoes to desk chairs to diamonds.

Committing to enable MasterPass lets retailers provide seamless, safe and secure online shopping experiences for their customers.

MasterPass is all about simplifying the consumer shopping experience.

MasterPass is open, allowing consumers to use any card, regardless of brand, with the secure service. Also, MasterPass lets customers check out with just a few clicks or taps, whether in a taxi or in an aisle at the supermarket – no more wasting time entering endless shipping and credit card information.  

MasterPass conveniently stores all registered credit, debit, prepaid and loyalty cards in one place. Finally, as a MasterCard product, customers can count on a safe, simple and secure transaction with MasterPass.

MasterCard will have more to say shortly on how successful its decision has been to roll out the card to support Google’s Host Card Emulation, thereby enabling in-store contactless payments for MasterCard card holders with an Android phone, Ms. Kitchener said.

Shopping shortcut
App developers can access the in-app payments API through MasterCard’s open developer platform, as well as directly from the company.

Skipping endless checkout.

“We talk about MasterPass as your shortcut to what counts because it helps shoppers skip the hassle of endless checkout form that require time, and risk of typos, every time you buy,” Ms. Kitchener said. “With MasterPass, that hassle turns into a checkout shortcut with just a click, tap or touch. 

“The growing role of retailing shopping mobile applications is exciting. MasterPass is our response to this growing trend and to our cardholders around the world who want a more simplified and secure shopping experience.”

Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York