eCharge, Seattle, is promoting an online payment system for e-commerce that would put consumers charges on local telephone bills as calls made to a 900 number. The Internet is the entry point to eCharge, but transactions are conducted offline for security purposes. Merchants would collect eCharge revenues monthly and pay billing and collection fees of 7.5 percent to eCharge.
Consumers need Windows 95 on their PCs to use eCharge and must disconnect from the Internet before achieving a modem link to a merchant's 900 number. eCharge is working with service bureau BFD Productions, Las Vegas, to attain 900 numbers on behalf of merchants and answer calls made by the software.
