Since the dawn of humanity, payments have been the driving force of trade and the way people exchange value. The history of payment methods is also the history of our evolution: how we moved from simple agreements between neighbors to digital transactions. Today, this journey brings us to Frekuent, the solution that turns every purchase into an opportunity to save.
But how did it all begin?
Thousands of years ago, barter was the most common form of trade. If you had wheat and needed wool, you only had to find someone willing to exchange. Simple as it was, it soon showed its limitations: what if no one wanted what you had to offer? This difficulty pushed people to seek more universal alternatives.
That’s when commodity money emerged—valuable and useful goods used as a medium of exchange, such as spices, cocoa beans, or salt. In fact, the word “salary” comes from this mineral: in Ancient Rome, soldiers received part of their pay in salt, a scarce and essential resource.
What’s interesting is that commodity money wasn’t universal: each region used what was most valuable to its community. Shells, tea, cattle, or precious metals were accepted in different parts of the world. However, this system soon revealed its limits: transporting sacks of salt or cocoa was impractical and, above all, hard to standardize.
The birth of coins
The real turning point came around 600 BC, when the first coins were minted in Lydia, present-day Turkey. For the first time, a small, portable, and official object represented value backed by a government. Thanks to coins, trade expanded, and economies developed faster than ever.
Centuries later, China revolutionized history again with paper money in the 7th century. Gold or silver were no longer needed to make purchases. Later on, checks added security and convenience for moving large amounts without cash. This marked the beginning of modern banking, redefining trust in payments.
The era of speed and convenience
The 20th century changed the way we understand money. In 1950, the Diners Club credit card opened the door to a more agile system, followed by bank cards, ATMs, and POS terminals in shops. Bank transfers made it possible to send money across the globe in days instead of months.
And with the arrival of the internet, payments took another leap: PayPal, Bizum, digital wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay, and contactless payments were born—now essential in our daily lives. The goal has always been the same: to make the process faster, easier, and safer.
The future is already here: Frekuent
Today, we are living a new chapter in this long story. Payments are no longer just transactions: they’re part of the shopping experience. And it is in this context that Frekuent was born, the solution that combines payments and loyalty in a single platform.
With Frekuent, paying is easier and safer, but every transaction also becomes an opportunity to save and earn rewards. The future of payments is no longer something to wait for, it’s already in your pocket, ready to transform the way you shop and connect with brands.
The evolution of payment methods reflects our constant desire to improve. We went from barter and shells, to coins and banknotes, to cards and mobile payments. And today, with Frekuent, we take one step further. Discover how Frekuent can turn your payments into rewards.
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