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The agreement by Cardtronics Inc., the nation's largest ATM operator, to buy 7-Eleven Inc.'s entire U.S. fleet of 5,500 ATMs and Vcom multi-function kiosks hands the convenience-store chain a hefty return on its ATM investment while expandng Houston-based Cardtronics' network of machines by about 20%. The approximately $135 million cash …
Read More »PayPal Mobile Services Get Major Boost in Internet Retailing
DVD Empire is among the first of what will apparently be a series of Internet merchants this summer to adopt a new payments service offered by PayPal Mobile. The Warrendale, Pa.-based online seller of DVDs is going live with a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) site for mobile phones, with payments …
Read More »As Account-Level Processing Takes Shape, Acquirer Impact Unclear
More than three years in the making, so-called account-level processing is moving closer to reality at Visa USA. The new process affecting Visa-branded consumer cards will allow a credit cardholder to keep the same account number even if his issuer upgrades his card. Visa claims ALP will allow smoother transitions …
Read More »Mobile Web Surfers Soar As Payments Players Rev up M-Commerce
Just as U.S. banks and merchants rev up plans for mobile commerce, U.S. mobile phone users are accessing the mobile Web more than ever, with a particularly strong spurt of growth in usage over the past year. Some 21% of worldwide links to the mobile Internet through a platform operated …
Read More »USA Technologies And Coke Bottler Strike Biggest Vending Deal Yet
In the largest agreement so far for deployment of vending machines accepting mag-stripe and contactless cards, USA Technologies Inc. has been awarded a three-year contract that includes supplying card readers for up to 7,500 machines operated by Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., the world's biggest Coke distributor, in cities across the country. …
Read More »Contactless Usage May Be on the Rise, Reports Suggest
Information is beginning to emerge indicating that consumer usage of contactless devices for payments may be picking up. According to an Internet survey conducted by Atlanta-based Synergistics Research Corp. late last year, 9% of respondents had used a contactless card or fob. In two previous surveys, both conducted by phone …
Read More »Could the Ceridian Deal Lead to a Comdata-Certegy Combo?
The move by Ceridian Corp., owner of fast-growing payment processor Comdata Corp., to go private in a deal involving Boston-based Thomas H. Lee Partners LLC and insurance-industry processor Fidelity National Financial Inc. represents the latest in a series of processor deals backed by private equity and could lead to yet …
Read More »Retailers Still Have Long Way to Go on PCI, VeriFone Chief Says
San Jose, Calif.-based point-of-sale terminal developer VeriFone Holdings Inc.'s outspoken chief executive, Douglas G. Bergeron, sought in an analysts' conference call Tuesday to make hay out of the current concern about cardholder data security stemming from recent breaches at retailers such as TJX Cos. (Digital Transactions News, March 29). Older …
Read More »Emida-Q Comm Merger Could Expand Prepaid Market for ISOs
Two processors specializing in prepaid wireless transactions announced a merger on Wednesday that will create the second-largest provider in the business and could create opportunities for independent sales organizations. In a deal for which terms were not announced, Emida Technologies Inc., Foothill Ranch, Calif., is combining with Orem, Utah-based Q …
Read More »MPI Case May Not Be the Last ISO Action, FTC Says
A recent case filed by the Federal Trade Commission against an independent sales organization in Beaverton, Ore., may not be the last such action the federal regulator will bring. In April, the agency sued Merchant Processing Inc. in federal court, alleging the ISO duped merchants by promising to buy out …
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