Online Eftpos payment service slow to take off

Around 80 per cent of EFTPOS payments are under $50. Photo / 123RF

More than 30 retailers have signed up to allow their customers to pay online using Eftpos, but banks are taking longer to commit.

So far ASB and Cooperative Bank have signed up to offer the service which allows a consumers to approve the payment via their online banking app.

The service was soft-launched in New Zealand in October last year by Paymark and the first retailer to take it up was online retailer Mighty Ape.

Since then others like Burger Fuel, Smith & Caughey's and Alert Taxis have come on board.

A Paymark spokesman said it was in the process of signing on a number of the other banks.

"At least the majors will be doing something in the near term," he said.

But the major banks appeared to be non-committal when contacted by the Herald.

A Westpac spokesman said it was always looking at ways to better meet its customer's needs.

"Everyday payment innovation is a fast moving space and we continue to monitor market developments closely."

An ANZ spokesman said it continued to engage with Paymark.

"But no decision has been made."

A BNZ spokeswoman said it was not something it was looking at any time soon as it was not a priority for the bank.

Simon Tong, executive general manager for technology, innovation and payments at ASB Bank, said the number of people using the service was still "relatively modest" in comparison to all payment types used.

"But that is not unusual. It can be a slow burn."

Tong said it would take time for consumers to become aware of the option and begin using it.

"The key is more merchants and more banks."

Tong said New Zealand had led the world in Eftpos and it saw online payment by Eftpos card as adding to consumer choice.

"Not everybody has a Visa or MasterCard. If you don't you can't make purchases online."

Consumers can use debit cards to make online payments but retailers are charged a percentage fee per transaction for these.

Online Eftpos has a graduated flat rate payment system depending on a certain number of transactions starting from $19 for up to 50 transactions.

Tong said Visa and MasterCard were good for making international purchases but a lot of transactions were small and that is where Eftpos had traditionally played its part.

Around 80 per cent of Eftpos payments are under $50.

The Paymark spokesman said it was not tracking end consumer usage at the moment.

"We're more focused on bringing new retailers and banking partners on board. We're expecting customer numbers to grow rapidly once we have more banks and retailers offering the capability.

"But we have had great feedback from customers who are using it and from retailers who are pleased to see a new range of customers coming to their online store so that's tremendous."