More Federal Government Elements Accept Mobile Payments

While it’s easy to think of the government—most any government, really—as hidebound and slow to change, a recent announcement did help on that front. The US Treasury Department’s Fiscal Service announced that people could pay government fees at “select government sites” using contactless payment measures, including many common mobile wallets like Apple Pay.

In fact, reports suggest all the major Pays, including Samsung and Android, are taken at military commissaries along with National Parks throughout the United States. It’s actually part of a larger effort, reports note, that got its start back in 2015 when federal agencies started accepting PayPal.

It’s not likely to stop here, either, as program elements in the government push just a little harder and get mobile payment systems accepted in more places. The Fiscal Services’ Card Acquiring Services division, which is responsible for collecting fees from both debit and credit cards, has been taking mobile payments since 2015. So it was really only a matter of time until more branches started stepping in.

That’s a point assented by Fiscal Services’ deputy assistant commissioner for revenue collections management, Christina Cox, who noted “Contactless payments provide the public another convenient, simple, and secure payment method in our suite of electronic payment options.”

It’s not really surprising that the government would take such a step, or that it would catch on. After all, the government wants its money one way or another, and by opening up mobile payments, it’s made it easier for those who have to pay the fees to get those fees to the government. The government also gets the added advantage of telling people how easy it is to pay fees now, which wins it a few extra brownie points with the taxpayers who are also fee payers.

Regardless of the ultimate motives, the point remains: it’s that much easier to pay government fees now, whether at a US military commissary or at one of the host of National Parks out there. That should in turn indeed make life a little easier for those paying the fees, and improve the likelihood that those collecting the fees get paid. It works for businesses, so why not for the government?