A move towards mobile payments has been gaining momentum in the US recently. Mobile phone deals providers like Groupon stand to benefit from this trend, as software makers are already producing apps that scan loyalty cards and other bar codes in exchange for goods. As people get used to using a phone instead of a card for purchases, deal makers and advertisers will be able to expand.

Merchants also have much to gain, as they can take advantage of coupons and impulse buys to drive sales at their brick and mortar shops and stalls. When mobile payments start catching on, consumers will depend less on credit cards and more on NFC chips in their phones for approving digital deductions from their bank accounts while at the register. Visa and Mastercard already have plans to get ahead of this trend by making mobile apps that extend lines of credit to individuals for near-field communication (NFC) and other mobile-payment use.