ParkX has launched its easy-to-use mobile application to pay for parking in downtown Phoenix. The app, which took the top prize in Phoenix’s “Smart City” App Hack last year, is designed to eliminate the need to search for coins or cash, wait in line, or return to your vehicle to add more time. 

All that a registered user does is enter his unique parking spot identification number into the ParkX app and select the amount of time he wishes to park for. The app also sends a message reminder five minutes before his parking session is about to expire, allowing the user to add more time directly through his phone.

The company, formerly known as Park Genius, has partnered with Phoenix lot owner Joe Katarski to push the new service downtown. The owner of multiple lots near Talking Stick Resort Arena and Chase Field said he saw the opportunity to partner with ParkX as a good business decision.

“More and more, people are asking if we accept credit cards, and I’m getting sick and tired of telling them that we don’t,” he said. “It’s lost business.”

In a city where surface lots are still largely using cash-only parking, the ParkX launch in Phoenix signifies a shift in the way parking lots monetize the vehicles parked there. Lot owners are beginning to realize the importance and value of offering convenient payment options, mainly the ability to use a credit card.