Ingram Mints portable payments deal

Mint Wireless has appointed Ingram Micro to distribute its portable credit card payment system, Mint.

The company's channel manager, Sasha McQuaid, said Mint chose Ingram Micro because it was Australia's largest distributor.

"As a relatively unknown IT brand, we felt their expansive reseller base would be good for the marketing and promotion of the service," she said.

Ingram Micro business manager, Linda Pifat, said Mint would be handled by a specialised data team within their point-of-sales group, Imrapt. This was headed up by dedicated product manager, Rochelle Self.

Pifat said it would focus on industries such as hospitality and tech support, and any other business that might involve house calls. The general sales team at Ingram Micro would also supply leads to the Imrapt team.

Mint Wireless is now looking for resellers interested in taking on its product. The system is designed for any sized mobile-based businesses, from sole traders through to corporations.

Working through a BlackBerry, the Mint service includes a pocket-sized card reader and printer. Customers use their credit cards to make a payment through the BlackBerry. The Mint user receives an authenticated payment and printed invoice.

All transactions are kept in the Mint online administration system, which can be downloaded into MYOB or QuickBooks. Earlier this year, Mint Wireless and former wholesale partner, ICT Distribution, parted ways.

ICT Distribution's product manager, Sally Davies, said the split was a mutual decision and the companies remained on good terms.

Although the arrangement with Ingram Micro isn't exclusive, McQuaid said Mint Wireless had no plans to appoint other distributors.