They’ve been the subject of intense debate for several years now, but evidence from the Southeast Acquirers Association annual conference Tuesday shows interest among independent sales organizations in discounts for cash and credit card surcharges is as high as ever. About 800 people attended the Atlanta confab that concluded Wednesday, …
Read More »T-Mobile Enters the Merchant Services Fray With a Branded Reader And TSYS Processing
Merchants will be able to choose merchant services from T-Mobile US Inc. now that the wireless carrier has launched GoPoint, a new product that includes one-price processing and mobile card readers. With processing provided by Total System Services Inc. (TSYS), GoPoint is aimed at small and medium-size businesses. The service …
Read More »Citigroup Building a Payments Unit and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 3/26/19
Citigroup Inc. says its treasury and trade solutions unit is building a capability to allow consumers to make payments to institutions. Payment methods will include cards, e-wallets, and new bank-transfer services such as request to pay and open banking. Chosen Payments said Hudson Software Inc., developer of software for the …
Read More »A Long Apple-Goldman Sachs Effort Yields a Potent New Card, But Questions Linger
Apple Inc. has been working on a payment card product with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. for at least a year, and on Monday the computer company that did much to put mobile payments on the map announced the results of that collaboration. Cobranded with Goldman and running on the Mastercard …
Read More »With Merchant Fees in Sight, a Blockchain-Based Credit Card Promises Lower Acceptance Costs
Thirty-five merchants in the Silicon Valley area are accepting the new Yosemite Card, which caps acceptance fees at 0.3%. The private credit card can do that because it uses blockchain technology to manage transactions. Typical discount rates for network-branded credit cards range from 2% to 3% or more. Palo Alto, …
Read More »Details on Apple/Goldman Card? And other Digital Transactions News briefs from 3/25/19
Apple Inc. on Monday is expected to make several major announcements, possibly including one regarding a credit card it is reportedly developing with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. that would work with the iPhone and Apple Pay, according to news services. Apple’s iOS 12.2 update will integrate a new wallet app …
Read More »Debit Card Issuers’ Authorization Costs Fell 54% in Eight Years, the Fed Reports
Debit card issuers subject to the Durbin Amendment’s interchange price controls saw their average authorization, clearing, and settlement expense, excluding fraud, fall to 3.6 cents per transaction in 2017, down 54% since 2009, the Fed reported Thursday. The Durbin Amendment to 2010’s Dodd-Frank Act requires the Fed to issue a …
Read More »Mastercard’s Contactless Transit Announcement and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 3/22/19
Mastercard Inc. announced contactless-payment capability will go live in 20 U.S. cities “within the next few years,” starting with subway and bus systems later this year in New York City, where the company is working with transit-technology firm Cubic Transportation Systems. Bitmo, a startup that offers mobile gift cards that …
Read More »Priority Technology Blames a Mastercard Subscription Rule for Its $19.5 Million Revenue Hit
Merchant processor Priority Technology Holdings Inc.’s fourth-quarter revenues fell by $19.5 million, a drop of 16.5%, in the face of a new Mastercard Inc. rule change tightening consumer notices on subscription billings. “This decline was being driven by one factor and one factor only,” Priority chairman and chief executive Thomas …
Read More »eBay Adds Google Pay and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 3/21/19
The eBay Inc. online marketplace is adding Google Pay as a payment option as it rolls out its new managed-payments platform to sellers. Google Pay will be activated in April and will be available via the app or mobile Web, and users will be able to use it on desktops …
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