Amazon simplifies payments with new PayPhrase system

Amazon Payments has introduced a new way to pay at Amazon.com and a number of other web retailers. The service is called PayPhrase and lets users enter a phase and personal identification number to speed up the checkout process, it said on Thursday.

The service keeps credit card information, shipping address and shipping preferences on record, and lets online shoppers invoke them via a phrase of their own choosing.

The phrase has to be two or more words and between four and 100 characters in length. No digits or special characters are allowed and only one user can pick one specific phrase.

To make changes to these preferences the user has to log into his or her standard Amazon account.

PayPhrase simplifies payments because users don't have to log into their account with a username and password, and they don't have to set up multiple accounts or share credit card information with a number of different retailers, Amazon said.

Besides Amazon, clothing companies DKNY, Jockey and Patagonia as well as electronics retailer Buy.com will use the PayPhrase system.

The payment option is currently only available in the U.S., according to Amazon.

PayPhrases can also be used to set up accounts, with a limited amount of fund available, for other people.

Parents can monitor and approve purchases via an e-mail or a mobile text message, it said.

Consumers who want to start using a PayPhrase can visit the Amazon web site and register.

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