Industry trends, Articles
Market shifts and acceptance behaviour. 14 pieces in articles, written for merchants worldwide: what industry trends covers, what to check on your own statement, and the decisions it changes.
Industry trends
Industry trends
Market shifts and acceptance behaviour.
On this shelf
The Future of Payments Is Intelligent Payment Infrastructure
Mani Rahnama, founder of RapidCents, on why the next generation of payments needs more than another processor: infrastructure that understands, interoperates and protects, from APPIE™ interoperability at the terminal and host to security engineered into the whole transaction lifecycle and AI connected through governed access.
ExplorarSubscription Fatigue vs Seamless Billing
Subscription fatigue is the emotional and financial exhaustion customers feel from managing too many recurring charges, and it drives cancellations, chargebacks, and brand resentment. The fix is smooth billing: transparent pricing with renewal reminders, flexible plans with pause and downgrade options, smart retries for failed payments, and proactive retention triggers. Customers stay longer when they feel in control rather than trapped.
ExplorarWhy Merchants Are Prioritizing Recurring Payments in 2025
Merchants are prioritizing recurring payments in 2025 because automated billing delivers predictable revenue, fewer missed payments, lower churn, and less manual work for finance teams. With the global subscription economy forecast to reach $1.5 trillion in 2025 and 81% of North Americans holding at least one subscription, recurring billing has become a core payment strategy.
ExplorarHow Instant Payments Can Grow Your Business
Instant payment systems transfer funds between accounts in seconds, at any time of day, instead of the up-to-three-day wait of card batches and ACH transfers. For businesses this means immediate cash flow, a smaller fraud window, automated reconciliation and a faster customer experience—advantages already proven by systems like India’s UPI, Brazil’s PIX and Sweden’s Swish.
ExplorarFinTech Fragmentation: When Too Many Payment Options Hurt
Using too many disconnected payment providers hurts merchants in five ways: systems fail to sync and force manual work, stacked vendor fees raise total costs, every extra partner adds compliance and security risk, checkout becomes inconsistent for customers, and support issues get harder to resolve. Consolidating to one or two strong partners keeps payments simple, secure, and scalable.
ExplorarHow Credit Cards Will Shape E-Commerce by 2028
Credit cards will keep shaping North American e-commerce through 2028: the credit card market is expected to continue growing, with over 150 million daily credit card transactions in the US in 2024. Key trends include biometric authentication and AI fraud prevention, contactless and mobile wallet payments, flexible instalment options like BNPL, and AI-personalized rewards.
ExplorarDo Credit and Debit Cards Still Dominate Online Payments?
Yes. Despite digital wallets, buy-now-pay-later, and crypto, 65% of online payments are still credit and debit card-based, according to Payments and Commerce Marketing Intelligence. Consumers stick with cards for trust, rewards, buyer protection, and universal acceptance, so merchants should improve checkout for cards with tokenization, 3D Secure, smart routing, and decline management.
ExplorarThe State of Subscriptions and Recurring Billing in 2025
Subscriptions have moved well beyond streaming: the subscription and loyalty industry grew from an estimated $2 trillion in 2023 to $3 trillion in 2024, with subscriptions up 60% in recent years. For small and medium businesses, recurring billing creates predictable cash flow, stronger customer loyalty, and lower acquisition costs without major operational changes.
ExplorarFuture of the Card Payment Industry: Key Trends
The future of the card payment industry is being shaped by contactless payments and mobile wallets, evolving security such as EMV, tokenization, biometrics, and AI-driven fraud detection, regulations like PSD2, the gradual acceptance of cryptocurrencies by major card networks, fintech-driven innovation, and rising customer expectations for smooth, personalized payment experiences.
ExplorarThe Future of Wearable Payment Technology
Wearable payment technology embeds contactless card payments into smartwatches, fitness trackers, rings, bracelets, and even clothing. Powered by NFC, secured with biometrics and tokenization, and increasingly enhanced by AI fraud detection and 5G connectivity, wearables let users pay with a tap or gesture. Businesses preparing for them need compatible POS systems, staff training, and PCI DSS compliance.
ExplorarOnline Card Terminals for Restaurants
Online card terminals simplify the dining experience by letting guests view the bill, pay at the table, split checks, and add tips without waiting for a server to run their card. For restaurants, they reduce order errors through digital entry, sync with POS and inventory systems, and protect card data with encryption, tokenization, EMV, and PCI DSS compliance.
ExplorarBest Business Credit Cards 2020: Cashback and Loyalty Points
In 2020, business credit cards offered travel protections, loyalty points, and cashback rewards that helped businesses maintain their supply chain through the reopening phase. Standouts included the American Express Business Gold Card, with up to 4X reward points but a high annual fee, and the Business Platinum Card from American Express, with extensive travel perks and no foreign transaction fee.
ExplorarChase Freedom Flexi Card: Cashback and Perks for Cardholders
In 2020, Chase launched the Freedom Flexi Mastercard with no annual fee and rotating quarterly bonus categories. Cardholders earn 5% cashback on travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, cashback on dining and an extra 3% at drug stores, 5% back on Lyft rides, a complimentary three-month DashPass membership, and cell phone protection — with quarterly cashback capped at $1,500 in spending.
ExplorarSouthwest Credit Card 65,000 Bonus Points Offer
In 2020, Southwest credit cards offered a 65,000-point sign-up bonus, up from the previous 40,000 points. Cardholders earned the points, valued at about $975, after spending $2,000 on the card. The promotion arrived alongside no-fee ticket cancellations, at a time when online credit card spending surged during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Explorar
Frequently asked questions
What is on this shelf?
Articles on where payments are going: contactless and mobile wallets, real-time rails, subscription commerce, the cashless trend and the changes the card networks and regulators are making. Each one says when it was published, because a trend piece ages.
Are these trends or North American?
Both, and each article says which. PIN debit, the FedNow and RTP and the Code of Conduct are international; the card networks’ rule changes apply on both sides of the border. The US edition of the site omits the pieces that would not apply there.
Do these articles recommend products?
They describe what is changing and what a merchant can do about it; where a RapidCents product is the answer, the article names it and links to the product page rather than describing it twice. The product page is where the specification lives.
How often is this shelf updated?
As the subject moves. New articles are added when a change is settled enough to describe accurately rather than when it is announced, and older pieces stay published with their dates so a reader can see how the picture developed.
