Square, the mobile payments start-up, has tried to make cash obsolete by offering a way for any business, from a farm stand to a restaurant, to turn their phones or tablets into credit card terminals. Now Square is trying to make wallets obsolete, too, by upending the way that consumers pay for things.
On Monday, Square announced a way for shoppers to pay by simply giving their name to the merchant — as in, “charge it to Jack.” With two new apps, Card Case for consumers and Register for merchants, Square wants to be involved in every step of the transaction process by replacing cash registers, loyalty cards and paper receipts.
