Last May, Square unveiled an app called Card Case, which included a mobile tab system, where users could set up tabs at various places and order their purchases with automatic payments. Now, the app, available for iOS and Android, has been updated, and is now called Pay With Square.
They’ve added the ability to automatically open a tab when you arrive at a business, and you can pay without even having to touch your device. There’s whole new user interface, a new map where you can see nearby businesses, and a search tool for finding businesses. Users can also add businesses to a “favorites” list and share them with friends .
It will be interesting to see if consumers do find it to be the “most amazing way to pay.” A couple weeks ago, PayPal unveiled a Square competitor in PayPal Here. PayPal announced last week that it got 1,000 sign-ups per hour in the first 24 hours after the announcement. Here is a quick video for each product:
There have been complaints about the user interface with Pay With Square, and at least one reviewer expressed disdain for not being able to save to an SD card, but the most common complaint with the app seems to be that there are not enough businesses available on it.
This is precisely an area where PayPal could have a significant advantage. It’s a brand that’s been around (and in the payments space for many years), and it’s part of another, even bigger brand in eBay. Square has shown some tremendous potential in its early months, and has already made a pretty good name for itself, but competition from a major player like PayPal isn’t going to make things easy.