Android Useful Apps

So a friend just told me about this great idea from a few stellies guys, won MTN Business app of the year last year. ​https://www.facebook.com/SnapScanApp

Basically its a payment alternative finally giving a purpose to QR codes that makes sense.
From a merchant perspective its cheaper than a speedpoint, payfast or paypal, works the same way as a speedpoint transaction and you getting your dosh wise.

Costs the users nothing, works on droids, and both types of fruit. There are about 70 places in WCape taking it rite now, the bulk in stellies of course, but personally I see this as being a fantastic alternative payment method if it gets real traction.

All the end user needs to do is scan thie card, yes I know seems dodge, but its backed by Standard Bank so I imagine its secure, the deets are only on the phone and you set a pin for each card you load, which you need to enter to pay, so DO NOT use the pin for your card.

At each merchant you just open the app, scan the code, enter an amount for the transaction, choose your card and enter the pin, its done. Rite now its only debit and credit card, but I think if they really went with this it could be used at a later stage to also replace retailer cards like American Swiss, Edgars and such.

Personally I want to see this succeed, I have seen similar apps from America and not actually as good or simple, I hate cash, I walk around with the smallest wallet I could find, it takes 4 cards and 0 cash.

As a merchant its easy for you to use, being a QR code you can pop it on a webpage, add it to quotes or invoices, there is no monthly cots or setup fees so if its not used it costs you nothing, but if it is used it costs you less then what your likely paying in merchant or payfast fees and you get your cash just as quick.

Website: http://www.​snapscanapp.com
Merchants: ​http://www.snapscanapp.com/merchant
FB Page: ​https://www.facebook.com/SnapScanApp
Droid: http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fireid.snapscan
Apple: ​http://www.appstore.com/snapscan
Berry: ​http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/33734153/?lang=en&countrycode=ZA

For those who care, you can score R25 in thier referal system for you and the person you refering, I like this app so much and want it to succeed that I am not even bothering to add my code, if you want you can PM for it, but I would liek to see this in PNP and on Takealot one day. Only way thats going to happen is if people and business take it up. The more users that have it the more inclined businesses will be to offer it.
 
I had a look and this is basically a card not present transaction. Same as if you would be using your card to buy something online. Works for credit cards and only debit cards which has a cvv and expiry, which is not pure debit cards. Idea is good, but doesn't implement anything new we havent seen before.
 
fanie.dry said:
I had a look and this is basically a card not present transaction. Same as if you would be using your card to buy something online. Works for credit cards and only debit cards which has a cvv and expiry, which is not pure debit cards. Idea is good, but doesn't implement anything new we havent seen before.
Click to expand...

Ok, so give me 1 locally working example of this? I have seen similar in the USA yes, but nothing that works locally.
 
CranialBlaze said:
Wee you say it's nothing you have not seen before, so what has the then copied?
Click to expand...

what I mean is that it is nothing more than a card not present transaction, same as any e-commerce transaction today. so no new payment technology was created here.

I think my original reply might have come across as if I don't appreciate the usefulness of the app. I do. Just not a lot of people in South Africa have cards that can be used for online purchases and a lot of people are concerned about security as well. Card not present transactions are disputable and are known targets for fraud. I'm not saying there are security flaws in this solution, but where your pin is not entered at time of purchase has risk for the merchant.
 
fanie.dry said:
what I mean is that it is nothing more than a card not present transaction, same as any e-commerce transaction today. so no new payment technology was created here.

I think my original reply might have come across as if I don't appreciate the usefulness of the app. I do. Just not a lot of people in South Africa have cards that can be used for online purchases and a lot of people are concerned about security as well. Card not present transactions are disputable and are known targets for fraud. I'm not saying there are security flaws in this solution, but where your pin is not entered at time of purchase has risk for the merchant.
Click to expand...

I have tested this myself, read the site through and through, from what I can see this is as, if nor more secure than your online based solutions, especially when you consider end user theft, aka mugging and being pick pocketed, or simple carelessness. Phones can be remote wiped, meaning no need to cancel your cards.

From a usage point, the transactions in your control, you enter both the amount and a pin on your phone to complete it. For a merchant, transaction records are in probably 4 places, they will have a copy, a copy on your phone, another with SnapScan and then the bank of course. Only people who have you phone and you in app chosen Pi can use this and the specify that you not use the same one as on your card, so for all parties concerned it could be more secure.

Personally, for extra security I scratch off the cvv from my card, that way if it stolen I at least know it's useless with in www's anonymity.

No solutions perfect, but from what I can see, this was well thought out and for merchants it's pretty secure and a lot more cost effective than speed points, which in turn can allow for possible lower prices for us as consumer, snap caps it's fee at 3% were banks are 7%, banks also require a monthly minimum and not meeting that carries additional penalty fees.
 
CranialBlaze said:
I have tested this myself, read the site through and through, from what I can see this is as, if nor more secure than your online based solutions, especially when you consider end user theft, aka mugging and being pick pocketed, or simple carelessness. Phones can be remote wiped, meaning no need to cancel your cards.

From a usage point, the transactions in your control, you enter both the amount and a pin on your phone to complete it. For a merchant, transaction records are in probably 4 places, they will have a copy, a copy on your phone, another with SnapScan and then the bank of course. Only people who have you phone and you in app chosen Pi can use this and the specify that you not use the same one as on your card, so for all parties concerned it could be more secure.

Personally, for extra security I scratch off the cvv from my card, that way if it stolen I at least know it's useless with in www's anonymity.

No solutions perfect, but from what I can see, this was well thought out and for merchants it's pretty secure and a lot more cost effective than speed points, which in turn can allow for possible lower prices for us as consumer, snap caps it's fee at 3% were banks are 7%, banks also require a monthly minimum and not meeting that carries additional penalty fees.
Click to expand...

yes, agree, no more risk than a normal online transaction. but remember you are talking about brick and mortar merchants, which, after chip and pin (EMV) implement, carries no risk. i think the difference between your view point and mine, is that you are looking at this from a consumer point of view, and I'm looking at it from a merchant point of view.

to the consumer its nothing more than an online transaction. but to the merchant there is more risk. if they have a pin pad at the moment, those transactions are card-present and pin-present, which makes them indisputable, but with a card-not-present with no pin-present it IS disputable, which carries risk for the merchant.

yes the cost is one thing, obviously there is no pin pad that the bank needs to look after and no need for paper rolls etc, which means the merchant can be charged less. and don't get me wrong, i'm all for using your mobile. a lot of phones these days have NFC, which means, with the right software, a phone can be used as a card, by just 'tapping' it against a NFC reader. this comes with its own set of risks and ways to mitigate it.

trust me when i say, there are solutions out there, that if used in conjunction with this one, can be even more secure and open up even a broader card base than just credit (or a card that has a cvv).
 
fanie.dry said:
yes, agree, no more risk than a normal online transaction. but remember you are talking about brick and mortar merchants, which, after chip and pin (EMV) implement, carries no risk. i think the difference between your view point and mine, is that you are looking at this from a consumer point of view, and I'm looking at it from a merchant point of view.

to the consumer its nothing more than an online transaction. but to the merchant there is more risk. if they have a pin pad at the moment, those transactions are card-present and pin-present, which makes them indisputable, but with a card-not-present with no pin-present it IS disputable, which carries risk for the merchant.

yes the cost is one thing, obviously there is no pin pad that the bank needs to look after and no need for paper rolls etc, which means the merchant can be charged less. and don't get me wrong, i'm all for using your mobile. a lot of phones these days have NFC, which means, with the right software, a phone can be used as a card, by just 'tapping' it against a NFC reader. this comes with its own set of risks and ways to mitigate it.

trust me when i say, there are solutions out there, that if used in conjunction with this one, can be even more secure and open up even a broader card base than just credit (or a card that has a cvv).
Click to expand...

I get your point for merchant, but for snap to work the phone needs to be present and you need to know that in-app set pin, which can be unique to each card stored.

That should be as secure as the card/pin combo, or at least in my opinion. As you can't use the card without its pin, neither can you use the stored card without its pin. In both scenarios an item and it's unique pin are required to complete a transaction.
 
CranialBlaze said:
I get your point for merchant, but for snap to work the phone needs to be present and you need to know that in-app set pin, which can be unique to each card stored.

That should be as secure as the card/pin combo, or at least in my opinion. As you can't use the card without its pin, neither can you use the stored card without its pin. In both scenarios an item and it's unique pin are required to complete a transaction.
Click to expand...

yeh, i understand that, but the pin is not linked to the card at the bank, it's a app pin and does not stand add any value in the eyes of the bank when things get disputed. Traditional PINs are validated against what is stored on the issuing system at the bank, or on the chip (in the case of emv).

its the same as you saying to the bank that you locked yourself in a room before buying something online in a traditional e-commerce card-no-present transaction.
 
So I wonder what's going to happen to Whatsapp??
Will it change? If it does what are the alternatives?
I have been using Skype and Voxer for some time alongside whatsapp, and found then to be pretty decent.
What alternatives is everyone else using
 
fanie.dry said:
it's a app pin and does not stand add any value in the eyes of the bank when things get disputed.
Click to expand...

Not sure I follow you completely (and I am coming in at he a$$ end of the conversation), if the app is run and supplied by the bank, being a on-line pin (verified by the bank) or a pin on the chip it should be the banks responsibility.

There is a reason why your offline wallets has limits on the transaction amounts where it only checks the chip pin.

IMO, any offline authentication will be hacked eventually
 
Veroland said:
Not sure I follow you completely (and I am coming in at he a$$ end of the conversation), if the app is run and supplied by the bank, being a on-line pin (verified by the bank) or a pin on the chip it should be the banks responsibility.

There is a reason why your offline wallets has limits on the transaction amounts where it only checks the chip pin.

IMO, any offline authentication will be hacked eventually
Click to expand...

Thats exactly my point. The pin used in this app is not linked to the card at the bank. Its an application pin. If its hacked your card details can be copied and used where ever card not present is accepted (online purchases). And by no means am I saying that this will happen.

In fact, there is a solution called PayD. This solution enables you to use your bank issued pin to authenticate transactions for card not present transactions. A plain old debit card, which doesn't have a cvv, can be used to authenticate on your mobile device via a WIG message.

Takealot, for example, uses this for debit card transactions. But it allows for credit as well.

So because the pin is present, acocording to the card association rules and PASA, the transaction cannot be disputed, which lowers the risk for the merchant as well.
 
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