Payforit: a safer way to buy mobile games from your phone
The UK operators' solution to subscription rip-offs
Mobile technology firm Bango has announced that it's working with over a thousand mobile internet sites to enable them to use a new scheme called Payforit. And although you probably haven't heard of it, Payforit has important ramifications for mobile gamers.
In short, Payforit is about 'WAP billing'. Using it, when you buy content – games, ringtones or whatever – from a mobile internet site, it'll charge your phone bill, rather than the existing method of sending you multiple premium SMS messages.
It's less fiddly then, but it's also about protecting you from being ripped off. Payforit is backed by all the UK mobile operators, and it forces mobile internet sites to tell you exactly how much you're going to be charged, and whether it's a one-off payment or a subscription.
In other words: no more Crazy Frog-style 'surprise' subscriptions. Which can only be a good thing.
Mobile games firms will be using Payforit; for example, Gameloft's newly-launched mobile internet site does, enabling you to buy the company's games direct from your phone.
We're going to be talking to operators and publishers about the benefits and implications of Payforit soon for a longer feature. Click 'Track It!' to stay in the loop.
