Online retail giant Amazon offers customers a quicker, yet no less secure, way to pay with the "Payphrase" shortcut service.
Amazon Payments, a
subsidiary of Amazon.com, introduced PayPhrase, a shortcut for paying on
Amazon and other websites. The service allows online shoppers to choose a
customized phrase, Amazon provides Knick Knack as one potential example, and
then enter that phrase along with a PIN to preview their order and complete
their purchase. The company said PayPhrase was deigned to help Amazon.com
customers to checkout across the web with their preferred payment and shipping
methods stored at Amazon.com, but without having to share payment information
with multiple websites. All websites accepting Checkout by Amazon, including
clothing retailers like DKNY and Patagonia as well as online shopping sites
like Buy.com, J&R Electronics, and Car Toys, will be offering PayPhrase as
a checkout option.
Resource Library:
Customers on Amazon.com find
the item they want, type their PayPhrase into the PayPhrase button on the
products page, and click to preview the total cost of their order, including
shipping and tax. By using the service there is no Add to cart or Proceed to
checkout sign in, or need to type in credit card information. With
participating websites that accept Amazon PayPhrase, Amazon.com customers do
not need to register or create a new account in order to make a purchase.
PayPhrase solves the
headache of trying to keep track of all the different usernames and passwords
people use to shop on various sites across the web. With PayPhrase all you need
is one phrase and one PIN to pay online, said Matt Williams, general manager
of Amazon PayPhrase. We think customers will enjoy the simplicity that Amazon
PayPhrase offers, and we hope theyll have some fun choosing their own personal
phrases.
The company is also touting
the service as a way to help curb online spending by minors. By creating a
PayPhrase for their teenager or student away at college, parents can set
monthly spending limits and monitor or approve purchases. Amazon PayPhrase
also makes it easy for parents to set up an online allowance and monitor their
teens purchases, read a company release. With PayPhrase, parents have the
flexibility to preview every order placed, including the ability to approve or
decline each order via e-mail or mobile phone text alerts.
Merchants can accept
PayPhrase orders immediately by using Checkout by Amazon, which automatically
supports PayPhrase. The company said by offering PayPhrase, merchants can
benefit from the familiar Amazon.com checkout experience. PayPhrase is
available through all Checkout by Amazon merchant websites starting immediately,
and on additional websites as new merchants join Checkout by Amazon.
/ 2 
