At Mobile World Congress (MWC) MasterCard announced the expansion of its Qkr! With MasterPass to six new markets and added a new feature to eliminate the need for an ‘open tab’ at a restaurant or bar. As mobile payments continue to grow, MasterCard has been in the forefront in devising ways to increase smartphone usage via their MasterPass to make payments. Qkr!, which uses MasterPass, has already been up and running in Australia, Columbia, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. The six new countries just added are Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States. The new functionality added is the elimination of the need of an ‘open bar’ tab. Rather than giving your credit card information at the bar to start a ‘tab,’ you simply use your Qkr! with MasterPass app to open a ‘tab.’ You then drink your drinks, add appetizers, and then pay from your phone before you leave the premises.
MasterCard realizes that 8 out of 10 shoppers use technology when they shop and to stay on the leading edge MasterCard is in a constant state of flux with innovative ideas. They jumped on the Android Pay bandwagon, early in 2016 they introduced ‘Groceries by MasterCard,” and even launched a ‘Pay With Selfie’ feature that uses a selfie as a form of authorization. Kids can even pay for school meals with their smartphone. The Qkr! feature allows you to pay for food, drinks, and more from your Android smartphone. Some places allow you to order ahead through the app, so your food will be ready when you get there, and you can even pay for it through the app, so there is no extra waiting time. The payments all go through the free MasterPass digital wallet where you can store all of your payment and shipping information. Just download the app to get started, and once you use the app, you will be offered money saving coupons.
Not only do the consumers make out with these conveniences, but also do the restaurants. The Qkr! with MasterPass allows the establishments to accommodate more people and the servers to spend more time serving and less time worrying about watching for when you want them to take your check to make payment. The diners can save an average of 12 minutes without having to flag down their server and wait for their credit card bill to sign. It is a win-win situation for customers, servers, and the establishments themselves.