We need to be on guard against technological lock-out Least-cost routing works because the physical cards being presented at the point-of-sale terminal are provisioned with two networks – so-called dual-network debit cards. But what if there is no physical card, as is the case with mobile payments?
How do we encourage provisioning of dual networks in these circumstances and encourage the mobile and terminal technology to enable merchant choice of routing. There are already some disputes in this area. Some banks have been choosing to provision only one debit system, so the option to route is being limited.