Located on the Arkansas-Texas border, Texarkana has long been a cross-state business center, but over the last few years, there has been a quiet revolution in the way that its businesses process payments. Family eateries and local retail chains are quickly embracing digital payment options to serve tech-savvy customers and streamline operations. The change, spurred by pandemic-era necessity and generational preferences, mirrors larger financial technology trends while still embracing the city’s unique entrepreneurial character.
Locals are embracing digital payments as well, both in-person and online. In-person digital payment options are steadily growing in Texarkana, however, they don’t yet match what’s available online. Locals can easily shop online, play games online, or even book holidays online using digital payment methods. When shopping online, plastic cards are still extremely popular, however, e-wallets are gaining traction amongst locals. Texarkana residents who enjoy online gaming and playing online casino games can also use digital payment methods to quickly and efficiently fund their accounts. Some betting sites even offer quick withdrawals, which means that bettors have instant access to their winnings. Because of their convenience and speed, instant withdrawal casino sites have quickly become a popular option among bettors in the area and far beyond. When booking holidays online, Texarkana locals can also use digital payment methods, making vacations and holiday planning simple, convenient, and quick. While paying for goods and services online is popular amongst local residents, the small businesses in the area have already started catching on, accepting digital payment methods to make in-person transactions just as easy as shopping online.
Additionally, local providers are retooling infrastructure to accommodate this digital revolution. Sparklight, Texarkana’s leading internet provider, has been getting requests for high-speed bundles from businesses updating point-of-sale equipment. Commercial National Bank and First National Bank, both headquartered in Texarkana, have launched proprietary merchant services that pair fraud-fighting algorithms with user-friendly interfaces. Those products enable smaller merchants to keep up with national chains by providing mobile payment integration and real-time sales analysis. “Reliable connectivity isn’t optional anymore—it’s the backbone of everything from inventory management to contactless payments,” said Chris Boone, Vice President of Business Services for Sparklight back in 2020. One can only imagine the development that has taken place since then.
The most cutting-edge implementations are in the hospitality and food industries. At downtown staples such as Hopkins Icehouse and Twisted Fork, employees now wear handheld devices that take Apple Pay and Google Wallet, cutting down on wait times at lunch rushes. Food trucks along Stateline Avenue—formerly cash-only mainstays—now have QR codes posted that link to Venmo and Cash App accounts. Even the city government has modernized, making direct deposit mandatory for employees and considering blockchain-based utility payment systems to cut down on processing fees.
This shift has not been without its problems. A number of long-time residents are still leery of computer systems, so eateries like Bryce’s Cafeteria continue to use cash registers and tablet checkout lines. Cyberattacks continue to be a problem, with local IT companies reporting 40% more contracts for phishing defenses since 2023. But the economic payoff is tantalizing: businesses that use cell phone payment technology are reporting quicker checkouts and higher average transaction sizes, based on Chamber of Commerce estimates.
With federal regulations cracking down on payment app regulation, Texarkana companies strike a balance between innovation and prudence. The recent CFPB ruling to force digital wallets to settle disputes has witnessed regional banks rewriting software, while increasingly more retailers tokenize transactions in an attempt to protect customer information. In the midst of it all, the city’s business community exhibits pragmatism—adopting new tools while retaining the human element that makes the city what it is.
In this border town where the old and new meet, the quiet hum of bustling online deals now adds to the clinking of diner plates. It seems that Texarkana is not looking to be the next Silicon Valley. It seems the town just wants our customers—whether they’re paying with a dollar bill a hundred years old or a cryptocurrency wallet—to feel like Texarkana keeps up with their lives. That fine balance, it seems, is its own sort of Southern hospitality.
