Restaurant Booking App OpenTable Launches mPayments Pilot

OT-Mobile-Payments-iPhone-Shot-2.6.2014Restaurant booking service OpenTable has launched a mobile payments pilot which enables customers to settle their bills using credit card details stored in-app.

Because the app already handles the initial reservation, OpenTable doesnt require barcodes or NFC to link the customer to their purchase – the bill will appear automatically on their device.

The trial was originally slated for the end of last year, but it has only now begun, with a small group of participating restaurants in OpenTables home turf of San Francisco. The company is inviting users to join the pilot via email, and says it will increase the number of test subjects over the next few weeks.

In July last year, it was reported that OpenTable doesnt intend to take any cut of the payments made through its app – the functionality is being introduced to make its service more attractive, both to customers and restaurants.