Want to Do Mobile Payments? Here’s a Free Tablet

A number of start-ups are trying hard to convince the world that the ability to pay for things with a phone is something we actually need. The latest example is GoPago, a company in San Francisco that is trying to lure merchants with free tablets.

The pitch goes something like this: Merchants, especially restaurant owners, often resist new payment technologies because they don’t want to put up with the fuss of hiring a tech person to set things up or trouble-shoot. And they’re too busy to deal with it themselves. To get over this hump, GoPago is offering its package free: an Android tablet, the Verizon Internet connection, a cash box, a receipt printer, the company’s app for handling transactions and inventory tracking, and setup and support of the service. To place an order at a participating restaurant, a person would use the GoPago mobile app to pay, and then she’d be able to walk in to pick up the food. As is often the case, free isn’t exactly free for the businesses. GoPago charges a 2.85 percent fee for each transaction, which is split between the credit card company, GoPago and Chase Paymentech, which is the processor.