CloudZync, a British mobile-commerce startup, has launched a mobile wallet app that lets customers pay for items from their phones, as well as integrate loyalty cards and access special offers. The company has signed up 280 merchants for the launch, according to a news release.

The free app is initially available for iOS and Windows phones, the company said, with Android to follow. Users load the app with funds from their bank account, then open the wallet with a PIN and select the "make payments" option at participating retailers. The app automatically generates a unique QR code that the customer then presents for scanning; the merchant verifies the customer's identity by approving a photo ID. Zync Wallet will automatically add relevant reward points and discounts to the digital wallet.

CloudZync said it does require merchants to pay set-up fees or administration costs, and no additional hardware is required. Merchants can opt for a pay-as-you-go model, with rates between one pence and five pence per transaction. Or starting at £40 per month, they can sign up for a suite of tools that provide access to help with the set-up, branding and management of their own loyalty and CRM schemes.

"There's no denying that the mobile payments industry has grown dramatically in recent years, with consumers being offered a range of new ways to pay using their smartphone or NFC 'quick pay' solutions," CloudZync co-founder and CTO Andrew Smith said in the release. "However, none of these payment options truly take advantage of the mobile technology that most consumers now carry in their hands, with most just offering another way to pay by card.

"It's this lack of true innovation in how consumers make mobile payments that has resulted in a lukewarm reception thus far. That's why we created Zync Wallet, to provide merchants with a way to send customers special offers and loyalty schemes through a mobile wallet — as well as providing them with a simple and secure way to pay using just their phones."

Smith told TechCrunch that the company plans to take the wallet nationwide within three months, and that its infrastructure is set up for a global roll-out.

Learn more about mobile/digital wallets.