PayPal is targeting the remittance market with a new service that enables French users to top up the mobile phone pre-paid credit of friends and family around the world.
Developed with Ingenico subsidiary TransferTo, the PayPal Mobile Reload service will make it easy for account holders to send airtime to people in more than 60 countries through 200 mobile network operators.
To transfer airtime, French PayPal users visit a dedicated site, select the recipient's country, enter their mobile phone number, and the amount they want to send to their mobile phone, and pay with PayPal.
The recipient's mobile phone is reloaded instantly and a text tells them about the top-up, while the sender receives an e-mail from PayPal confirming the transaction.
PayPal wants its new system to tap into the burgeoning, multi-billion dollar remittance market, providing an easy way for migrant workers to send funds back home.
Separately, the eBay unit has added an 'order ahead' feature to its consumer mobile app in Australia. The tool, powered by local start-up Beat The Q, lets users search for a nearby café on their phone, check in, browse the menu, place an order and pay.
The order then appears on the café's point of sale terminal screen so they can get it ready in time for the customer's arrival. The app also lets users save favourite orders while loyalty is built in, tracking purchases and triggering any rewards.