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PayPal Inc. took another step toward the physical point of sale on Tuesday with the announcement that it will work with VeriFone Systems Inc. to let merchants accept PayPal payments on VeriFone’s PAYware Mobile application. Starting early next year, merchants will be able take PayPal from customers on the application, …
Read More »TCF’s Suit Is ‘Nonsense,” Anti-Interchange Crusader Says
TCF National Bank’s federal lawsuit against the controls on debit card interchange contained in the Dodd-Frank financial reform law draws scant sympathy from retailers who have been battling against card interchange, including a merchant and entrepreneur who has been leading a crusade against the pricing mechanism for years. “It’s nonsense,” …
Read More »TCF Challenges the Durbin Amendment’s Constitutionality
TCF National Bank, a top 10 debit card issuer, on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the so-called Durbin Amendment, which, as part of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill Congress passed in July, will regulate debit card interchange beginning next year. TCF alleges the debit card provisions …
Read More »Out of Stealth, MobilePay USA Promises to Crack the POS
Payments-industry observers who have been frustrated by the slow progress of near-field communication (NFC) technology for point-of-sale mobile payments may find an alternative in a new mobile application called MobilePay USA. The service surfaced last week when it won an award at a conference sponsored by TechCrunch, a technology blog. …
Read More »PCI Council Issues Guidance on EMV And Point-to-Point Encryption
With end-to-end encryption of payment card data rapidly spreading throughout the credit and debit card industry and calls for the U.S. to replace magnetic-stripe cards with so-called EMV chip-and-PIN cards, the card industry’s security overseer is attempting to ensure that security standards change with the times. The PCI Security Standards …
Read More »Visa, MasterCard Settle with DoJ, But AmEx Vows a Fight
The U.S. Department of Justice and seven states on Monday sued Visa Inc., MasterCard Inc., and American Express Co. over their merchant-acceptance policies, especially those that restrict discounting for other cards or payment forms. Visa and MasterCard immediately announced a settlement, but AmEx said it would fight. The antitrust lawsuit …
Read More »Mobile-Payments Fraud Starts to Take Its Toll
Mobile payments are barely out of the starting gate, but fraudsters are quickly discovering the new channel’s potential for making a dishonest buck, according to new research from LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Fraud losses from mobile payments as a percentage of total revenue were 1.13% compared with 0.83% for online-only merchants …
Read More »Heartland Adds an Encrypting PC Wedge to Its E3 Line
With 5,100 small and mid-sized businesses already using its E3 end-to-end encryption terminals, Heartland Payment Systems Inc. early next month will roll out its E3 magnetic-stripe reader for PC-based payment applications. The E3 wedge is a small, mag-stripe-reading wedge that plugs into the USB port of a personal computer or …
Read More »Hypercom Rejects Rival Terminal Maker VeriFone’s Hostile Bid
Leading U.S. point-of-sale terminal maker VeriFone Systems Inc. late on Wednesday disclosed it was making a cash bid for archrival Hypercom Corp. in what VeriFone says is an effort to expand its presence in continental Europe. Hypercom's board of directors early Thursday rejected the offer, calling it “opportunistic,” and said …
Read More »Debit Card Fraud Strikes Aldi Grocery-Store Customers
A rash of debit card fraud has hit customers of the discount supermarket chain Aldi, though its extent and methodology have not been divulged. Criminals obtained customers’ PINs and card numbers in the Midwest to make unauthorized ATM withdrawals in other states, especially California. Batavia, Ill.-based Aldi’s case is different …
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