Mobile Payment
Do Mobile Payments Grow an Unattended Business? What the Data Shows
Laundromats, vending machines, car washes, arcades and other unattended businesses all face the same question: once customers can pay without coins, what makes them come back more often and spend more? We looked at PayRange’s own transaction data for answers.
Data At a Glance
Key insights from PayRange’s transaction data
+67%
spend per customer after joining loyalty rewards
+75%
more purchases per customer
54.8%
of new promo users still active weeks later
+25%
usage per user, year 1 to year 6
1 · Your Customers Already Pay This way
Americans make more phone payments than cash payments
Mobile-phone payments
11 / month
Cash payments
7 / month
Source: Federal Reserve, average payments per consumer per month, 2024. Mobile-phone payments grew in every age group, including customers 65 and older.
2 · A Transaction Vs. A Relationship
A card swipe pays you. A mobile payment also tells you who came back.
Card readers solve the payment problem, and many customers prefer them. App-based mobile payments add tools a swipe can’t offer.
| What you can do | Card swipe | Mobile app payment |
|---|---|---|
| Accept cashless payments | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reward repeat visits with loyalty rewards | – | ✓ |
| Send targeted promotions | – | ✓ |
| Know who your repeat customers are | – | ✓ |
| Show live machine availability | – | ✓ |
| Send end-of-cycle alerts | – | ✓ |
Pays with what’s on the phone
With the PayRange app, customers can add funds from a card in a digital wallet, Venmo or PayPal, an EBT account, or a retail gift card.
No cellular plan per machine
PayRange connects through the customer’s phone over Bluetooth, so there is no added data plan to pay for on every machine.
3 · Loyalty Rewards
Customers in a rewards program spent 67% more
+67%
average spend per customer
+75%
more purchases per customer
PayRange compared the same customers at operators already running a loyalty program: the 30 days before they joined versus the 30 days after their first rewards purchase.
+67%
Before
$16.75
After
$28.01
+75%
Before
8.5
After
14.9
+27%
Before
$2.03
After
$2.57
Source: PayRange before-and-after analysis of customers at operators with loyalty enabled.
Read this fairly: customers who join a rewards program may already be your most engaged. The data shows they visit and spend more after joining. It doesn’t prove the program alone caused every dollar of the lift.
4 · Promotions
Two 2026 promotions gave customers a reason to try paying by phone
What is Paze?
Paze is a digital wallet created by Early Warning Services, the bank-owned company that also runs Zelle. Participating banks pre-load their customers’ eligible debit and credit cards into Paze. In 2026, PayRange ran two promotions that rewarded customers for adding money to their PayRange account with Paze, and promoted both inside the PayRange app.
SPRING 2026
$10 back
Add $10 to your PayRange account with Paze and get $10 back on your app balance. Repeatable up to 3 times, for up to $30 in bonus balance.
SUMMER 2026 · BROADER
$10 credit
Every $10 added with Paze earned a $10 statement credit. Repeatable up to 10 times, for up to $100 in statement credits.
Spring campaign results, March 10–June 13, 2026
Paze users compared with non-Paze users during the campaign.
+32.8%
funding dollars per user
+22.5%
transactions per user
+19.5%
mobile spending per user
+14%
mobile adoption during the promotion
27,760
users funded with Paze
~$904K
funding volume
67,779
funding transactions
54.8%
still active
Most new users stayed
Of the new users the spring promotion brought in, 54.8% were still active in early July. That matters more than the funding totals: a $10-for-$10 offer will raise funding by design, but staying active shows customers kept using the app.
Source: PayRange internal campaign analysis. Per-user figures compare Paze and non-Paze users and don’t show that the promotion alone caused the differences.
5 · Growth Over Time
Mobile usage compounds
More users, no extra cost
Each new location on a payments network brings users who can pay at your machines with no acquisition spend from you.
More users per machine
As a location matures, a growing share of its customers switch to paying by phone.
More spend per user
With the payment barrier gone, customers buy higher-priced items and run longer cycles.
+25%
Year 1
100
Year 6
125
Source: PayRange data, indexed to year 1 = 100. Long-tenured users are by definition the ones who stayed, so read this as a sign of loyal usage, not a guaranteed result for every new user.
6 · Putting it to work
How to move customers from card or cash to mobile
1
Keep the card reader as a bridge. It serves customers who aren’t ready for an app. Treat each swipe as a chance to introduce mobile.
2
Turn on loyalty rewards. Rewards give customers a concrete reason to download and return.
3
Explain the perks on every machine. Decals and signage should name rewards, live availability and cycle-end alerts.
4
Use promotions on slow days. Targeted offers fill off-peak hours and reward regulars.
5
Have staff mention it. A quick nudge from an attendant often converts a regular.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mobile payments for unattended businesses: your questions answered
What is the best way to accept cashless payments at an unattended business?
Most operators offer more than one option: a card reader for walk-up customers and mobile app payments for repeat customers. A card reader removes the “no coins” barrier. A mobile app adds loyalty rewards, promotions and a direct connection to each customer.
Is a mobile payment app better than a card reader for laundromats, vending machines and car washes?
They do different jobs. Both accept cashless payment, but only an app can reward repeat visits, send offers and show live machine availability. In PayRange’s data, customers in a rewards program made 75% more purchases and spent 67% more in the 30 days after joining than in the 30 days before.
Do customers actually use mobile payments at unattended machines?
Yes. The Federal Reserve reports Americans made an average of 11 mobile-phone payments per month in 2024, versus 7 cash payments, with growth in every age group.
Do older customers use mobile payments?
Yes. Federal Reserve data shows mobile-phone payments grew in every age group in 2024, including customers over 65.
Will mobile payments drive away customers who pay with cash or cards?
They don’t have to. Many operators keep a card reader alongside a mobile app. The app gives engaged customers more reasons to return, while other options still serve everyone else.
How does a loyalty program increase revenue at a laundromat or vending business?
It gives customers a reason to choose your location again. In PayRange’s analysis, average spend per customer rose from $16.75 to $28.01 over 30 days, purchases rose from 8.5 to 14.9, and average purchase size rose from $2.03 to $2.57. These were existing customers visiting more often. It is a before-and-after comparison, not a controlled experiment.
What was the PayRange Paze promotion?
Paze is a digital wallet from Early Warning Services, the bank-owned company behind Zelle. In spring 2026, customers who added $10 to their PayRange account with Paze got $10 back on their app balance, up to 3 times. In summer 2026, a broader promotion gave a $10 statement credit for every $10 added, up to 10 times. Both were promoted in the PayRange app.
Do in-app promotions increase transactions?
They can. During PayRange’s spring 2026 Paze promotion (March 10–June 13), Paze users made 22.5% more transactions and spent 19.5% more on mobile per user than non-Paze users, and mobile adoption rose 14%. The comparison doesn’t prove the promotion alone caused those differences.
Do promotions bring customers back after the offer ends?
Often, yes. Of the new users the spring Paze promotion brought in, 54.8% were still active in early July.
Does mobile payment usage keep growing at a location over time?
PayRange’s data indicates it does. As a location matures, more customers switch to the app, and annual usage per user rises about 25% between a user’s first and sixth year.
What can customers pay with in a mobile payment app?
With the PayRange app, customers can add funds with a card in a digital wallet, Venmo or PayPal, an EBT account, or a retail gift card, so a customer without cash or a physical card can still pay.
Do mobile payments require a cellular data plan on every machine?
Not with PayRange. It connects through the customer’s phone over Bluetooth rather than a cellular connection, so there is no added data plan on each machine.
Which unattended businesses can benefit from mobile payments?
Laundromats, vending machines, car washes, arcades and family entertainment centers, and dry cleaners. Any location with repeat customers can use loyalty rewards and promotions to encourage more visits.
How do I get customers to use the app instead of a card or cash?
Give them a clear reason. Turn on loyalty rewards, put signage on every machine explaining the perks, run promotions on slow days, and have staff mention the app to regulars. Keep the card reader in place for customers who aren’t ready yet.
Related: Your card reader gets the sale. The PayRange app grows your business. · Loyalty programs in your laundromat
Curious what this could look like at your locations?
Talk to PayRange about adding mobile to the machines you already own.
