The payments firm Stripe has launched the Stripe Terminal which makes it possible to accept payment in real life using the popular online and mobile service. This development takes it into even closer competition with the like of Square and PayPal
Stripe Terminal is an API-driven solution for accepting in-person payments. The Stripe Terminal makes it straightforward to easily integrate the Stripe payments platform into an in-person checkout experience, with support for both native mobile and web applications. Developers can take full advantage of Stripe’s integrated payments platform: initiate a subscription in-store with Billing or let platform users start taking in-person payments with Connect.
Stripe says that the idea is to take the technological and pragmatic approach that they already successfully apply online and invest that in offline retail but also seamlessly integrate the two with one unified system.
The question is: Can we make the offline world as simple as the online world? As a software developer, you should be able to set up payments once, and have it work everywhere you need it to — on your website, in your app, in person, globally. With Stripe Terminal, we’re introducing just that: a way for internet-first retailers and SaaS companies to leapfrog legacy retailers in building highly customized payments experiences for in-store purchases that match what they’ve built online.
– John Collison, co-founder and president of Stripe
As it stands at the moment the product is only available in the United States and you’ll need to apply to get an invite. Doubtless, in due course, the Stripe Terminal will become more widely available.
Competition in the world of payments is increasingly keen. In the past week, PayPal announced that it had completed the acquisition of iZettle, a European fintech company that powers a powerful offline payments terminal that utilises a mobile device to take payments.
