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Recently I've been playing with Stripe to put a payment form (url) into a QR code. So the cashier prints the receipt, the user scans the QR code and pays using the form on her iPhone/Android.

But why would merchants or users prefer this solution? why not just use the credit card? Perhaps these kinds of ideas are what pg calls made-up startup ideas.

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Most of the world's consumers don't own a credit card.

Admittedly, this startup is based in the UK, where most consumers have several credit cards.

http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/credit-cards-aro...

I do see many advantages; credit cards are insecure (all the important info is written on them) and even debit cards machines can be modified or replaced to save your password and card info; but with the phone there is none of those risks. Also I would like to mention that there is no need to read it from a printed receipt, you read it from another device the cashier haves and that is it; wish is a green solution and can be promoted as such.

And if someone steals your phone (hopefully) you have a pattern to unblock it and before the thief can crack it you cancel the app account or change its password.

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