T-Mobile announced on Tuesday that it will expand its Direct Carrier Billing option to support more digital products. The service allows T-Mobile customers to make purchases directly from their web browsers and charge them to their monthly T-Mobile bills. Customers can purchase music, games, social networking credits and more from their phones, T-Mobile tablets, or any of their computers connected to a T-Mobile network. Direct Carrier Billing will be available later this month, and once it is active, customers will see the option from participating providers during checkout. There is no additional fee for Direct Carrier Billing and customers can opt-out by contacting T-Mobile support. Read on for the full press release.
T-Mobile USA to Extend Direct Carrier Billing to Digital Content and Services
BELLEVUE, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced Direct Carrier Billing – a nationwide purchasing program to provide customers the convenience of securely purchasing digital content and services from their web-enabled device. With Direct Carrier Billing, T-Mobile customers can conveniently charge online purchases of digital games, gaming and social networking credits, music, videos and other digital content offerings directly to their existing T-Mobile account right from the Web browser of their connected device – whether a PC, smartphone, netbook or tablet.
“In 2009, T-Mobile was the first U.S. carrier to offer direct carrier billing for the Android Market. With this new program, we’re extending the hassle-free payment experience to browser-based purchases from virtually any online source and across a variety of mobile devices, delivering more purchasing power to mobile-centric consumers.”
“As the growth in mobile purchasing explodes, we want to be at the forefront in helping customers more easily purchase digital content and services,” said Brad Duea, senior vice president of value added services, T-Mobile, USA. “In 2009, T-Mobile was the first U.S. carrier to offer direct carrier billing for the Android Market. With this new program, we’re extending the hassle-free payment experience to browser-based purchases from virtually any online source and across a variety of mobile devices, delivering more purchasing power to mobile-centric consumers.”
T-Mobile Direct Carrier Billing, which will initially utilize billing services provided by BilltoMobile, Boku, OpenMarket, Payfone, and Zong, simplifies the browse-to-purchase experience for consumers, eliminating the need to manually enter credit card information.
T-Mobile subscribers will be able to visit a wide variety of trusted online storefronts and merchant websites to make secure purchases and have those transactions appear on their monthly T-Mobile bill. As the new offering continues to expand, additional strategic billing service partners and content providers will be added to the program.
Payments that are processed using direct carrier billing will be secured and monitored by both T-Mobile and the billing service partners. Extensive fraud controls, age-appropriate content blocking and spending limit management tools will be available to provide T-Mobile customer with a secure environment for purchasing premium content from trusted brands and merchants. In addition, a two-step customer authentication and purchase verification process will ensure a secure transaction. Purchases will also be detailed on the customer’s monthly T-Mobile bill so they know exactly what they are paying for.
Pricing and Availability:
Direct Carrier Billing is expected to be available later this month. Once available, T-Mobile customers will simply be presented with this option when purchasing online content from participating providers using their mobile device. While standard data and text rates apply, there is no additional fee for T-Mobile subscribers to use Direct Carrier Billing. T-Mobile customers may opt-out of Direct Carrier Billing at no additional charge by contacting T-Mobile’s Customer Care.
