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Forget the cinema in this product. The real product is a new model for subscription services based on the issuing of prepaid payment cards and a payment system
by buro9 9y ago
Forget the cinema in this product.
The real product is a new model for subscription services based on the issuing of prepaid payment cards and a payment system that enforces how it is paid.
That's pretty huge.
Imagine your employer giving a transit allowance and food allowance via this, and that it could only be used on a given transit mode and with the n local places to the work place, at some set amounts per month.
Or that parents could use a Uni subscription card that allows for purchases from the campus grocery store and the bookshop to be capped at a reasonable rate.
This is essentially a new breed of subscription that can be used across multiple outlets and yet have a set of controls built into it that make it seem more like a coupon.
As a new mechanism for subscriptions... this is far bigger than the cinema model.
You could even allow for the creation of custom controls to create subscription models that are totally personalised, or go further and sell this capability to other businesses.
- ghaff 9y agoSubscription probably isn't a necessary element. On the other hand, gift cards can already effectively cap purchases at a particular outlet. And pay-as-you-go transit passes can do the same thing for transit. The idea of limiting purchases to a pre-selected catalog is potentially interesting although I'm not sure how broad the use cases are. In the Uni examples, do you really need something other than a credit card with a reasonable credit limit?
- dhruvrrp 9y agoPrivacy, a startup/bank(?) has already refined issuing cards with restricted usage options to use for one-off purchases, subscriptions, etc. I think they currently cater to individuals, but they seem to be in a much better position to pivot towards employers providing allowances to employees, allowing them to restrict what that they could spend it on. https://privacy.com/ https://privacy.com/
- sjg007 9y agoI mean EBT cards (aka food stamps) already pioneered this.
- bpicolo 9y ago> Or that parents could use a Uni subscription card that allows for purchases from the campus grocery store and the bookshop to be capped at a reasonable rate A bunch of unis already have this model and their own card for it, and even extend purchases to local businesses e.g. http://bluebucks.umich.edu/p/home.html http://bluebucks.umich.edu/p/home.html
- yial 9y agoAnother example: http://idcard.psu.edu http://idcard.psu.edu All the local book stores to campus take it, grocery stores, and I believe even Target and some bars and restaurants now.
- buro9 9y agoIt is the control mechanisms that make it interesting, not just the group of retailers and funding source. With the control mechanisms you have the basis of a food subscription, a book subscription... allowances for very specific purposes at a rate that is pre-determined and could be set per retailer or even for specific products if such integration were achieved. This is what makes it more interesting than any pre-paid card or coupon system.