The online retailer has officially reveled the Amazon Local Register, a plug-in card reader and supporting app that will challenge Square and PayPal.

Although mobile and cardless payments have yet to really catch on, devices and software that let virtually anyone with a smartphone or tablet accept a credit card payment are proving popular.

SEE ASLO: AMAZON TESTING DELIVERY BY DRONES

Starbucks was so impressed with Square that it invested heavily in the company and is using its card reader and app in a host of its US stores.

AMAZON is looking to give Square and a growing list of others a serious run for their money and is going to do so by offering lower charges to its customers and by giving them access to Amazon’s customer support team.

DON’T MISS: THIS COULD BE AMAZON’S SMARTPHONE

The reader, which will work with an iPhone, iPad or Android device, costs $9.99 and, of course, is available to buy via Amazon’s own website, but it will also be going on sale on August 19 at Staples stores in the US.

Square currently offers its card reader free of charge and so Amazon will refund the first $10 worth of transactions made via the card reader. That’s a clever move as it forces potential users to become actual users.