Pay-Per-Click Micropayments May Become the Norm on the Internet.

Byline: Doug Bedell

Nov. 19--Should Beenz be redeemable for Flooz? If so, how do such Beenz-Flooz units translate to Mojo bucks? While we're on the subject, will Compaq's MilliCents ever be convertible to IBM Micro Payments?

These are the questions vexing big thinkers of the e-shopping world.

Dozens of online companies have come up with their own ideas on how to transfer currency and value between vendors and customers on the borderless Internet.

Some, such as PayPal, specialize in peculiarly American, person-to-person transactions popularized by eBay and other online auction sites. By most accounts, they're a huge hit. PayPal boasts a customer base of 4 million and, according to Media Metrix, is one of the fastest-growing Web sites in history.

Others on the horizon, including Compaq's MilliCents and IBM's Micro Payments, are designed to be worldwide, providing innovative ways to charge Web site visitors for content and services. Loosely grouped as micropayments, these mini-transactions would handle exchanges from $0.001 to $10. Many experts predict such fractional payment plans may give rise to "pay-per-click" access to information and even digital music.

"Charging micropayments for the choicest morsels of information will become the prevailing business model for selling smarts, replacing unlimited access for a flat fee," says Young & Rubicam's "Ten Trends for 2000" report. The report calls the micropayment model "info a la carte" and predicts consumers will soon pay mini-fees for much of what is now free.

Still other entrepreneurs, including those at Beenz.com and Flooz.com, are attempting to stir interest in their hybrid currencies, which combine characteristics of online gift certificates and loyalty…