Free micro-payments via phone. Big UK bank, Barclays, releases Pingit today | Hacker News Reader

Free micro-payments via phone. Big UK bank, Barclays, releases Pingit today

barclays.co.uk

44 pointsdazbradbury18 comments

Nice but can't see if it's free to receive money as a small business?

Great to see more competition in the on-line payment market anyway, Paypal has had a monopoly for far too long. Stripe and new services like this will make a fairer more competitive market.

Here is the Pingit for Business link:

http://www.barclays.co.uk/Mobile/BarclaysPingitforBusiness/P...

But I agree, it doesn't make it clear what the charges are. It also claims there will be a limit of £5k for receiving funds. In the T&C's it states:

4. Charges

  We do not charge you for sending payments through Barclays 
  Pingit (network charges may apply for using the app).  If 
  you are a business customer, you may incur standard 
  charges for making payments as set out in your tariff.

Not exactly: "There is a maximum daily limit of £5,000 for all payments received through the service."

Sounds ideal for small businesses.

Is there a developer API? I'd love to have a system where customers can, eg, scan a QR code, get given the details of what they're paying for, and then hit "confirm". Would remove quite a bit of friction from people fiddling around with entering your phone number.

That's the way bitcoin mobile wallets are working: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.miracleas.bitcoin_...

Paying is very easy, just scan the QR code and push send. I guess we will have to wait couple of years before this kind of model becomes available for traditional money...

On my rooted Android it detected that I had root and prevented me from using the app. Lloyds Bank mobile banking doesn't have any similar scruples.

That is annoying. And from the market comments it seems jailbroken iphones are the same.

However, my assumption is that it's a security measure. They are presumably trying to stop malicious applications sending payments without user notification, and I guess that makes sense.

As a bank, they may be being overly precautious, but is there a fallback of a web app?

It's a security measure against the wrong crowd. If someone is going to use root for malicious purposes, they'll just take apart the app and remove the check for root. Blocking casual root users is doing nothing for your security.

Security thru obscurity. hmm risky. I wonder how long it will take for someone to break it and Barclays to pull the app. N.b. it allowed me to install but quit straight away with a warning message.

If your device is rooted you're more likely to have routes for malware to get onto the device. When money is being moved out of your bank account, malware is the last thing you want on the device

I think the measure is in place FOR casual root users. No doubt there will be ways to remove the check for root, but then you've installed a non-standard application, and Barclays are presumably no longer liable for losses.

If you were a casual root user, installed this app, and there was some back-door only accessible via rooted phones, it would be the bank's problem.

Whether this is a reasonable security measure or not, I imagine it was their line of thinking.

Android relies on different apps running as different users for security. Rooted devices bypass this and destroy any notion of inter-app privacy, which basically nullifies the entire security architecture.

Casual root users are at enormous risk of malware, like running XP without a firewall levels of risk.

As a bank, they may be being overly precautious

When I give all my money to someone for safekeeping, I would much prefer they err on the side of caution.

It's interesting to read some of the Android reviews for the app; an interesting insight into how users value convenience over security.

Or simply how little they appreciate security

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.barclays.apps.ping...

My favorite:

Absolute GASH

Won't work on a rooted DHD. Or any rooted fone for that matter. Why? Its my fone and my money....poofs. I guess a banking app by Barclays will be the same. Don't bother with this one.

Are you assuming having root access to hardware you own to be a security flaw?

I'm assuming that most users don't know what root access is or the implications of having it

Doesn't seem to be via text.

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