micropayments

/'maɪkrəυˌpeɪmənts/ plural noun

a technology developed to allow visitors to spend very small amounts of money (normally for information) on an Internet site

COMMENT: When people are purchasing goods or spending more than £5 on an Internet site, it is commercially viable for the retailer to accept payment by credit card or any other form of e-money. When people are being charged very small amounts (normally a few pence or cents) for information, it is not worth while collecting the payment from a standard credit card. Micropayments allow the retailer to debit the visitor’s e-purse or bank account directly.