Breaking the ice on mobile payments

Somewhat ironically for CI's mobile payments expert, I'm pretty conservative, even bearish, about the technology.  P2P seems needlessly complicated, designed just to show off your fancy gadgets for your friends.  And point-of-sale purchases?  Are that many shops going to buy into an entirely new payment network?  I don't see smartphones, much less payment apps, becoming more ubiquitous than cash or plastic.  And aside from that skepticism, I'm naturally reluctant to link my own cards or accounts to a mobile device to actually start using any of the pilot programs.

So what would it take to get me to just try out mobile payments?  Yeah, $10 of free food sounds about right.

In today's aimless pre-lunch wanderings, I came across an offer I just couldn't pass up, courtesy of Schnitzel & Things and LevelUp.  According to solicitors across the neighborhood, you get $10 off for paying with the LevelUp app.  While that did set off some scam alarms, once I got schnitzel in my head I had to swing by the store, and the fact that staff in there were promoting the deal was enough to get me to try it out.

Within minutes, I had downloaded the app and input my card info.  A little unsettling, of course...  To pay, I just had to cue up my personal LevelUp QR code and hold my phone in front of the scanner as indicated until it vibrated.  Then, back to CI to enjoy a delicious schnitzel sandwich (with ginger scallion and garlic relish, it's key), and spread the word!

Should have taken a picture of my order before devouring - rookie blogger mistake.

Having tested the mobile payments waters, my first impulse is to... deactivate and delete the app immediately.  Yeah, the experience was fine, and so far it all looks legit (see below).  But I'm still just in it for the freebies.  I'll hold on to the app for now, until that $0.85 charge becomes official, but I doubt I'll ever rack up the next $49 to claim six more free bucks (that meal was delicious, but otherwise $11!).

That a small schnitzel joint put in mobile payment infrastructure makes me re-think my opinion a little bit, though.  Maybe this was just an alliance of two small players in the Midtown lunch and mobile tech markets, and doesn't portend too much too come.  The current list of NYC merchants on LevelUp isnt' particularly impressive.  Companies like that have to take chances to carve out their niche.  But who knows, maybe it is the start of a bigger trend.  If they offer a sweet enough deal, they may even get my business.