Passengers first to benefit from improved version of Payforit

London, 25th May 2012: Passengers on board CrossCountry Trains services will be the first to benefit from the new version of the Payforit mobile payment system, Payforit 4. ImpulsePay has enabled Payforit 4, launched last week by the UK’s mobile operators, for CrossCountry Trains to allow passengers to purchase onboard Wi-Fi access using their mobile phones.

Using ImpulsePay’s Payforit 4 service customers will be able to charge Wi-Fi access to their mobile phone bill, making it a much easier way to pay and up to seven times faster than using a credit card.

“CrossCountry is in the process of deploying Wi-Fi services on board our long distance train fleet and we want to make accessing the service as simple as possible for our customers. Adding a mobile payments solution is a key factor enabling us to achieve that goal,” said Richard Edwards, Fleet Project Manager at CrossCountry Trains. “We chose ImpulsePay because they have previous experience of working in the rail industry and their focus on providing innovative solutions, such as Payforit 4.”

Payforit 4 is the latest version of Payforit, the mobile payments solution backed by all the UK network operators. It allows businesses to use direct operator billing to charge consumers’ mobile phones, eliminating the need for unreliable premium rate messages. Launched to the mobile industry last week, Payforit 4 offers even greater functionality and a number of improved features for merchants, which means even easier purchasing for the consumer.

As the first company to use Payforit 4 from ImpulsePay, CrossCountry Trains will be able to offer its customers one-click billing – allowing registered users to make subsequent purchases with just one click. The new version of Payforit will also allow CrossCountry Trains to embed the payment process within their own pages (either web or mobile), instead of sending the user to a separate payment page. This helps to increase conversion rates as the consumer has the comfort, security and recognition of the merchant’s branding. Payforit 4 will also help CrossCountry Trains to reduce checkout abandonment.

Backed by all UK mobile phone operators, ImpulsePay’s Payforit 4 service carries out the billing over the Internet as opposed to using text messages. No sensitive information leaves the security of the mobile operators’ billing systems, making it inherently secure, as it only requires the consumer’s mobile number.

“ImpulsePay gives us a great new payment method to allow access to our new Wi-Fi service,” Edwards continued. “In addition it was very straightforward to integrate the ImpulsePay code into our solution.”

CrossCountry Trains is currently rolling the service out to its 57 Voyager and 5 High Speed Trains, serving popular cities, such as Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford, Bristol, Southampton and Plymouth.

“Payforit 4 will make a dramatic difference in how Payforit is used,” said Chris Newell, CEO of ImpulsePay. “It has always been quick and easy to use for both the consumer and the retailer. However, with the improvements that Payforit 4 brings to the system it is now even better and will result in even greater conversion rates for brands like CrossCountry Trains.”

“As the first brand to offer the new Payforit 4 system, CrossCountry Trains will now be able to allow anyone with a mobile phone to buy on board Wi-Fi access,” continued Newell.

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