Intuit, Mophie to offer built-In credit card scanner for iPhone

Very soon, traveling merchants' use of traditional credit card terminals will be a thing of the past. Intuit, a business software specialist who provides a remote credit card service called Go Payment for professionals on the go, has teamed up with Mophie , an iPhone accessory maker, to create a new scanner accessory that will work with the iPhone via Intuit's Go Payment app without having to manually enter credit card information.

The creation of the device will greatly benefit small and medium-sized business professionals such as electricians, plumbers and more, by having a built-in scanner to swipe credit cards with on the spot. This new technology will eliminate the use of a credit card terminal and optimize touch technology that will allow customers to authorize transactions with the single touch of a finger on iPhone's delicate touchscreen.

In an interview with Mac World, senior product manager at Intuit Go Payment, Mary Lunneborg said customers have become more comfortable and want to do things they'd normally do on the computer with their mobile phones.

While the new development won't yet be available for iPhone 4 (though it's currently under development), it will be iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS compatible. The device will come in the form of a card reader and sleek cover deemed the Complete Card Solution. The accessories will fit snug along the bottom of the phone and encrypt data via card swipe. Though Blackberry and Android seem to be the more common choice for business owners, and the Go Payment app is available across many platforms, Intuit and Mophie teamed up for the Apple iPhone because they're uniform in shape and size while Android and Blackberry phones come in a variety.

The iPhone accessory will be available in Apple retail stores and will sell for $180. The Go Payment app will remain free, though, there will be a merchant fee of approximately $13 a month for the processing software. With no long-term contracts and set-up in as little as 15 minutes, an approved iPhone owner can walk out of the Apple store with the ability to accept and process credit card payments safely and securely.

Mophie's VP of Marketing and New Business Development, Ross Howe, told Wired.com about the NSA-level DUKPT technology that protects the encrypted data from hackers, explaining when the key is made at the time of manufacture, it's impossible to decrypt without it and is kept in two very unique places-on both sides.

The package linked with security and convenience all in one may drive more business owners away from their trusty Androids and Blackberrys and towards the older iPhones, if only for the virtual terminal. According to Intuit, Apple intends on selling the complete package in retail stores and online by month's end.

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