PaymentsSource

Today in Payments

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  For New Xbox, Microsoft May Strike Its Virtual Currency

  Microsoft Corp. will reportedly eliminate Microsoft Points, its virtual currency for digital content for Xbox consoles, echoing moves by several of its rivals.
  
  Microsoft already accepts payments in real currencies for Xbox content, a structure that makes its Microsoft Points redundant.

• Walmart, Starbucks Among Retailers Rejecting Visa,
  MasterCard Accord

  Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Starbucks Corp. are among 19 retailers opting out of a $7.25 billion antitrust settlement with Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. over fees charged to merchants to process credit-card transactions.

• Swipely Gets $12 Million Funding Round to Fuel Growth

  Swipely has secured a $12 million Series B round of financing, which will fund its nationwide expansion, the payments and marketing company announced today.

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  Text-to-Donate Payments Mobilize for Oklahoma Tornado Recovery

  Following the devastating tornado that struck Moore, Okla., organizations involved in the rescue and recovery efforts are relying on mobile payments technology to accept text message-based donations from the public.
  
  Calls to action quickly began streaming in from charities, celebrities and others, encouraging text donations to provide aid to the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore.

• Google Putting the Final Nail in Google Checkout's Coffin

  Google Checkout, the online payment service launched in 2006 and combined with Google Wallet in 2011, will shut down for good on November 20.

• Why Some Merchants Accept Bitcoin Despite the Risks

  Many merchants are still wary about accepting bitcoins, but new vendor partnerships and a maturation of the companies that handle bitcoin exchanges address some of the virtual currency's riskier aspects.

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  Gun Sales a Loaded Issue for Payment Gateways, Processors

  Licensed gun dealers are finding it increasingly hard to accept card-not-present credit card or debit card transactions, but companies such as Tasker Payment Gateways are not gun-shy when it comes to serving the firearms industry.

• Square Signals Its Move in Person-to-Person Payments

  A person-to-person payment method called Square Cash has surfaced on Square's website, less than a week after Google announced similar capabilities through Gmail and Google Wallet accounts.

• LevelUp, NCR to Integrate for Mobile Payments at Restaurants

  NCR Corp. is integrating SCVNGR's LevelUp mobile payment system with its Aloha POS system for restaurants.

• Bitcoin's Best Bets: Remittance, Micropayments and Charity

  While many still see Bitcoin as an unrealistic payment method, venture capitalists say there are clear use cases for the decentralized cryptocurrency in micropayments, international remittance and charity.

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  Payvia Buys Mogreet to Fuel Payments Expansion

  Payvia, which provides direct-carrier billing technology, has acquired Mogreet, a provider of cloud-based mobile messaging.
  
  The companies plan to combine the two technologies in a way that positions Payvia to expand into other payments arenas. The companies announced the acquisition May 20.

• MasterCard, Telefonica Venture Brings Zuum Mobile Pay to Brazil

  MasterCard is part of a joint venture that will launch the Zuum mobile payments service this month. The venture is touting Zuum as the first service of its kind in Brazil.

• Marks & Spencer Contactless Readers Charging Wrong Cards: Report

  Some consumers in London reportedly experienced problems with the contactless payment system U.K. retail giant Marks & Spencer recently expanded into all of its 644 stores.