Rouse Properties, owner and operator of enclosed malls in the US, is collaborating with mobile payments provider, Square, for mobile point of sale services for its small business retailers (view press release). The deal follows Rouse Properties recent launch of a one month pilot programme utilising Square’s technology at three Bay Area mall locations, with plans to roll out the service to its entire portfolio of 31 malls later this year.

Square has been a major force in the US mobile PoS market since its launch. The Square card reader plugs into the headphone jack of an iPhone, iPad, or Android device, allowing card payments via a downloadable app. It charges 2.75% per swipe for Visa, MasterCard, Discover and AmEx, while manually-entered cards (payments for which the card is not swiped) cost 3.5% plus USD0.15 per transaction. Customers are then able to receive their receipt by text or email. To entice merchants, Square does not charge monthly fees, set-up costs or request merchant account payments.