Amnesty International UK is implementing a payment system to handle donations up to £800 over mobile phones.

The mobile payment system, called LUUP, is being supplied by Norwegian company Contopronto and will enable the charity receives more of the proceeds of donations than traditional premium-rated text messages (PSMS) where extra charges are often added to user’s mobile phone bills.

The charity will receive at least 15 per cent more of the proceeds on a £5 donation than using the PSMS payment method.

‘In the past, we avoided PSMS as we felt its value was questionable and that it was too costly for donors,’ said Katie Hart, Amnesty International UK new business development manager.

‘The new mobile payments option is not only easy-to-use and very secure but also ensures the donation ends up with those who need it most,’ she said.

The charity has used SMS in the past to recruit members and hopes the convenience factor of mobile transactions will make it a very popular payment option.

Donors signed up with a LUUP mobile payment account will be able to make use of other features including the ability to handle payments between individuals by sending money over SMS to anyone with a mobile phone.

If the recipient is not a LUUP user, they will receive an SMS with the amount sent to them and an invitation to sign up for an account.

LUUP accounts may be used for saving, purchasing or transferring into the users bank account.

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