After launching a swipe-free mobile payment app for iOS last fall, Flint Mobile has released the solution in the Google Play Store, the company announced during last week's Small Business Expo in Boston.

The app is tailored to small businesses that don't have a countertop, the company said, such as photographers, therapists or caterers. At least 17 million small American businesses fall into this category, the company said in a news release, citing U.S. Census data.

The free app lets merchants accept payments by scanning a card number instead of swiping it through a reader, the company said, and also lets users increase repeat and referral business through its integrated marketing tools.

The company said the mobile payment solution offers key advantages for non-countertop businesses:

• Easy credit and debit card processing - Flint scans card numbers using the smartphone camera. Transaction processing occurs in real-time. No card data or image is stored on the phone.
• Instant setup - Merchants register online and begin accepting payments in minutes. No external card reader or merchant account is required.
• Highly customizable settings - Logos, receipts, menu options, sales taxes and tips can be configured within the app.
• Integrated social marketing - Flint said it makes it easy for customers to post reviews and recommendations on Facebook and company websites through the ordinary transaction flow.
• Flexible reporting - With Flint, data belongs to the merchant. Users can view and download transaction history, customer contact information and social media activity.

Flint charges 1.95 percent per debit card transaction and 2.95 percent per credit card transaction.

Citing research conducted by Mercator Advisory Group, Flint said debit cards remain the preferred payment method of American consumers.

"We've heard strong demand for Android, and we're excited to bring Flint to a large new segment of customers," Flint Mobile co-founder and CEO Greg Goldfarb said in the release. "Since launching on the iTunes App Store last year, we've enabled tens of thousands of mobile businesses, and we think that our 'no card reader' approach will be compelling across the Android user base. With Flint, all you need is your phone and you're good to go."

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