Overview
PayForIT is a cross-network initiative which enables mobile phone users to purchase goods and services from the mobile internet and for merchants to directly charge the users' mobile phone accounts. The scheme is governed by the Trusted Mobile Payment Framework (TMPF) which is administered by the UK Cross-Mobile Network Operator forum. Our PayForIT solution is hosted within our platform Charge to Account Gateway.
About PayForIT
In response to the increased use of the mobile Internet and building on the success of Premium SMS billing, PayForIT promotes a safe and trustworthy environment in which goods and services may be purchased from the mobile Internet and charged to UK mobile phone accounts.
The aim of the scheme is to enhance consumer confidence in mobile purchasing to promote the take up of mobile commerce by:
- Providing a uniform payment experience for the consumer regardless of the WAP site from which they are purchasing
- Requiring clear pricing, access to terms and conditions and merchant contact details before a purchase is confirmed
- Replicating the familiar Internet 'click and buy' experience
- Introducing a common 'PayForIT' brand across the mobile industry
From 1st July 2007, O2 UK will mandate that all WAP 'click to buy' billing services must use the PayForIT scheme, thus replacing the use of Premium SMS billing for WAP services. Existing 'click to buy' services will need to migrate to PayForIT before 1st September 2007 on O2.
For the avoidance of doubt, it will no longer be possible to charge for 'click to buy' services in a WAP session on O2 via premium SMS billing.
Features of PayForIT
Under the PayForIT scheme, Accredited Payment Intermediaries host Internet billing pages in accordance with the requirements of the Cross-Mobile Network Operator forum.
To build consumer confidence surrounding PayForIT, industry standard payment pages are used to provide a uniform payment experience for the consumer regardless of the site they are purchasing from. This standard approach will engender trust and familiarity in the PayForIT billing scheme and the PayForIT logo will become synonymous with this Trusted Payment scheme.
Currently, PayForIT is only available for payment for goods and services purchased in a WAP session. Web purchases will be enabled in the next release of the scheme rules.
Key Benefits
The key benefit of PayForIT over existing Premium SMS billing solutions is that the receipt of a Mobile Originated (MO) SMS message is not required to capture the user's opt-in for premium billing.
The PayForIT scheme can only be provided through trusted partners known as Accredited Payment Intermediaries who are accredited by each mobile network operator to offer the PayForIT service. MX Telecom is such an Intermediary and has worked with the UK mobile networks on the development and guidelines of the PayForIT scheme.
Sample Payment Process
- Consumer selects a product they wish to purchase on WAP site and clicks on 'BUY'
- Consumer is transferred to a PayForIT WAP payment page hosted by our platfrom
- The PayForIT WAP page displays the description and price of the item being bought along with links to the merchant's terms and conditions
- Consumer authorises payment by simply clicking on 'Pay Now'
- Our Platform processes the payment with the mobile network operator
- The consumer is presented with a transaction outcome page where the merchant can capture marketing opt-in and direct the consumer back to their WAP site
Benefits of PayForIT
PayForIT has a number of benefits in both technical and commercial terms:
- No MO SMS message required
- Unlike Premium SMS billing, an MO SMS will not be required to capture an opt-in from the end user when billing via PayForIT, thus offering a seamless consumer experience. Instead, the mobile operators will pass the user's MSISDN in the payment request to our platform in its capacity as an Accredited Payment Intermediary.
- Flexible pricing at reduced cost
- Unlike Premium SMS Short Codes which are limited to one MT tariff rate per short code in the UK, PayForIT merchants can bill at a wide range of tariff points - up to £5 -£10 through a single PayForIT account. Consequently, merchants will make savings on short code costs.
- Improved customer experience
As an MO SMS will not be required for opt-in, consumers will be able to enjoy the benefits of a 'click and buy' purchasing experience, removing the need for unnecessary SMS messages for billing. Once the payment request has been processed, consumers can be directed back to the merchant site to continue browsing and make further purchases.
- Reduced customer care issues
Improved transparency in pricing at the point of payment along with payment confirmation pages will result in fewer customer care queries, thus reducing the resource requirements of a customer care team and improving the customer experience.
- Subscription handling
PayForIT supports a variety of subscription service scenarios where terms can include limiting the subscription by time, monetary value or quantity of goods.
- Branding
The PayForIT logo along with its association with the network operators will encourage consumer confidence in mobile purchasing from content providers who make use of the PayForIT payment scheme.
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