Small businesses need a touchless payment method in these times of COVID.

PruPay is a specialty fintech company that provides easy payment solutions for merchants and consumers. The U.S.-based company announced Thursday its collaboration with PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) for the launch of touchless payments via text messaging. The facility of paying without having to touch another surface, device, or currency is especially useful amidst fears of rampant infection from the coronavirus. (IBSIntelligence)

Patent-pending technology

Prupay will offer its touchless payment service to merchants without any charges during this pandemic. The company is waiving its charges for the first 90 days after a new merchant signs up through July 31.

Though some payment processors already have a textbased payment service, PruPay has announced its offering with add-ons such as delivery fees, tipping, and a “pay it forward” option. The fintech has also enhanced security for merchants processing payments on its platform.

PruPay Touchless

For merchants:

• A control panel that lets employees enter payment requests and see orders without access to merchant banking information.
• An order management dashboard to see which orders have been paid for and which are pending.
• The ability to customize charges like convenience fees, delivery fees, or other markups.
• The ability to add delivery/pickup notes to the order.

For customers:

• The ability to pay for purchases via text all major credit cards, PayPal, Venmo (U.S. only), and PayPal Credit (under prescribed terms)
• The ability to easily add an optional tip or a “Pay It Forward” amount to help merchants during the crisis.
• A secure way to pay and complete orders without having to provide credit card numbers or addresses over the phone.
• An order payment confirmation to show to a delivery driver or curbside delivery person.

PruPay has also added a feature allowing customers to “give back” to their favourite merchants. The gesture is purely voluntary and is initiated when a payment is being processed. The customer gets a prompt to include an additional amount that would go towards supporting the business through these difficult times. It’s a goodwill gesture to the merchant.

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