A New Way to Pay Online: Visa Launches 'Visa Checkout' Visa's new product saves your card number and shipping information, allowing you to checkout online in just a few clicks.

By Emily Price

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

San Francisco -- Shopping online with your Visa card is about to get a lot easier through a new product called "Visa Checkout." Announced at an event here at Visa's new office, Checkout saves your card and shipping information and allows you to make online purchases in just a few clicks using a username and password.

Visa CEO Charles Scharf described the service as "your Visa card for the digital world." The hope with Visa Checkout is to make shopping with your card online as easy as using it at physical stores, removing the hassle of typing in a ton of information each time you shop.

Sam Shrauger, Visa's senior vice president of digital solutions, described the service as a simplification of payments, not another more complicated way to pay. "This is not a wallet, it's a digital form of the cards you love," he said.

Visa is launching the service today with several partners including Petco, Overstock, Lululemon, Teleflora and Staples. For merchants, the cost of implementing the service is zero. Merchants pay transaction fees on each purchase -- identical to what they pay through their current checkout method.

Related: Why Your Credit Card Company Wants to Replace Magnetic Strips With Microchips

Visa Checkout will show up on a merchant's site as a payment option, just like cash or credit. You can enter your credit card information manually just as you always have, but selecting the "Visa Checkout" option will launch a new window where you'll be prompted to enter a username and password.

If the idea sounds familiar, it's because several other payment services are already doing it. Visa Checkout is similar to offerings by both Mastercard and PayPal. With Mastercard's MasterPass and PayPal you're able to complete transactions online using saved payment information.

The difference between those companies and Visa is primarily reach. Visa currently has 2.2 billion cardholders. It issues cards for 14,000 financial institutions and is offered as a way to pay at over 36 million merchants.

Anxious to give it a try? Visa Checkout is live now at a number of retailers. Check out the full list here.

Related: The Crazy Things Your Future Credit Cards Will Do (Infographic)

Emily Price

Technology Writer

Emily Price is a tech reporter based in San Francisco, Calif. She specializes in mobile technology, social media, apps, and startups. Her work has appeared in a number of publications including The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, PC World, Macworld, CNN and Mashable.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Franchise

The Hottest Industries Today

Our list of the franchises best positioned for growth, even in uncertain times.

Business News

Meta Is Reportedly Offering Up to Nine-Figure Pay for Researchers on Its New Superintelligence AI Team

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, 41, is overseeing the hiring of staff for the new 50-person team.

Growing a Business

How My Old Job Secretly Prepared Me to Build a Thriving Business

The skills I learned are exactly what entrepreneurship demands.

Growing a Business

Celebrating Juneteenth Isn't Just for Black People. How Companies and Other Employees Benefit, Too.

Celebrating Juneteenth isn't just the right thing to do — it's a meaningful opportunity for companies and employees to foster inclusion, reflect on progress and strengthen workplace culture.

Franchise

She Quit Her Corporate Job to Sell a Refreshing Summer Staple — Then Made $38,000 the First Week and $1 Million in Year 1

With nearly $40,000 in first-week sales and $1 million in her first year, DeSario Turner's story is a blueprint for success.