Tag: mobile payments for vending machines

Smart Subway Vending Machines

Posted on by John Van Horn

If you have ever traveled or lived in New York City, you have most likely experienced the city’s famous subway system. The MTA, the organization responsible for public transportation in New York, is constantly trying to come up with ways to improve commuting for the millions of people that use the subway system daily.

Since 1993, commuters have used custom vending machines to purchase a plastic or paper MetroCard in order to ride the subway. Until now, scanning credit cards and debit cards in the machine or paying with cash and coin were the only options available to pay for your MetroCard.  The MTA is now testing a new method of payment in which customers are able to press their card against a Smart Card reader on the machine and wirelessly. This form of credit card scanning has been used in retail stores for a while now, but the technology is still widely unused due to concerns about credit card security and slow adaptation by credit card companies and consumers.

Intelligent Dispensing Solutions sees this version of credit card payment slowly replacing traditional credit card scanners because of its ease and ability to process thousands of vending transactions without any physical wear on the machine.

Vending Machines Could Be Mobile Payment Catalyst

Posted on by John Van Horn

As futuristic as the idea of mobile payments are, people perform them every single day. With mobile apps available for everything from Wal-Mart to Amazon.com, more and more products are becoming available to us at the click of a virtual button on the touchscreens of our smartphones. And while our cell phones haven’t replaced cash or credit cards as one of the primary ways to pay for goods, Mobile Payments Today believes vending machine transactions could help ignite the trend.

According to the report, local or office vending machines can have a significant effect on customer habits. USA Technologies SVP Mike Lawlor chimed in on the industry’s potential, stating “(Vending) is an everyday, everywhere part of your life, and because of that, it is a catalyst for consumer change in behavior.”

In addition to vending products being frequently used by everyday people, modern day custom vending machines encourage new-age payment methods. Companies such as Pepsico have encouraged users to use Twitter in exchange for a drink, and the Coca-Cola brand is currently testing mobile payment methods in Austin, Texas.

If any single product could bring mobile payment to the forefront, it is the custom vending machine. If you are a vending machine operator looking to be at the forefront of the growing trend, Intelligent Dispensing Solutions can certainly help you implement a cell phone vending machine payment method!