It appears that Visa don't trust their system fully, and
taking visa cards requires the customers mobile number
so that visa send them a text. Which they follow a link
to enter details on their own phones. The idea is good in
principal but visa don't like it, and the vast majority of
payments will be visa.
Yeah your right just found this on their website, seems a bit long winded to do.
Visa
To take Visa, the transaction works a little differently. You don't have to use the card reader, and the transaction is completed using the cardholder's phone.
1. After entering an amount, tap “Pay” in the app and select the option called "Visa payment".
2. The cardholder enters their phone number in your app.
3. The cardholder receives a text message with a link to a secure web page where they can input their card details in a form.
4. The cardholder receives an immediate on screen confirmation of the purchase, and you get a notification in the app which confirms that the sale has gone through!
The cardholder's phone has to be able to open text messages and a web browser, it doesn't have to be a smartphone. The card has to be activated for online payments, and issued in the country where the merchant's iZettle account is registered.
The reason for this process is that in addition to EMV regulations which are used around the world, and with which we have always been compliant, Visa Europe have issued their own guidelines for Visa transactions in certain countries. This process is compliant with Visa Europe's regulations.