With the usual year end rush of Christmas season, the constant opening of the wallet brings payments to mind once again.
Amazon’s site now boasts Amazon PayPhrase as a payment option. In a clever twist on an old solution, they allow users to register user defined or automatically generated phrases to credit cards and shipping addresses already on file. To purchase an item, the consumer types in their PayPhrase, reviews and submits their order on the next page, and waits for their purchases to arrive. The service can also be set so that family members can purchase with their own PayPhrase within limits set by the cardholder.
With it is only the very slightest of twists, every keystroke saved removes an obstacle to a sale. It is also much easier to remember a phrase than it is to remember a login and password. On the surface it appears to be a convenient option for consumers while providing a reasonable amount of security for the card companies and retailers.
Perhaps someday we can expect an amazon mashup with iLane to allow us to pay with a phrase while we drive down the highway. But will it be legal?
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