T introduces mobile billing service to replace credit card payments

AT&T customers will soon be able to charge purchases made online to their existing wireless bill.

The cellular service provider recently partnered with BilltoMobile to roll out its Direct Mobile Billing payment service, which allows customers to make purchases with their smartphone that will then show up on their monthly cellular service bill, rather than on their credit card statement.

"We're excited to collaborate with AT&T and offer their customers the benefits of a convenient, user-friendly mobile payment solution," said Jim Greenwell, CEO of BilltoMobile. "This form of billing is the logical next step in the e-commerce mobile payments landscape that BilltoMobile and our strategic investor, Danal Co., have pioneered for the past several years."

The service requires no registration, setup, or application. As a result, consumers don't have to send the company any sensitive information such as account numbers, but rather can make the payment when they receive their phone bill.

As consumer demand for more convenient payment processes increases, many cellular service providers are likely to offer billing options that can be completed on a smartphone.