Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals
It was a bumpy ride, but Total System Services Inc. (TSYS) emerged from 2006 with some hefty profit growth. The second-largest card processor this week reported fourth-quarter revenues of $503.9 million, up 19.8% from $420.7 million a year earlier, and net income of $87.1 million, up 75.2% from $49.7 million. …
Read More »With Microsoft and H-P, First Data Plugs Into PC-Based Payments
The concept of point-of-sale electronic payments without a standalone card reader took another step forward this week when leading processor First Data Corp. introduced a new personal computer-based service called First Data POS Value Exchange. Aimed mostly at single-location merchants with up to five checkout lanes, the service uses hardware …
Read More »Hypercom Aims at PC-Based Payments With Its TPI Software Deal
Payment-terminal manufacturer Hypercom Corp. on Thursday announced that it has bought the assets and technology of TPI Software LLC, a move that positions Hypercom to be a major player in the growing personal computer-based point-of-sale payments market. Founded in 2001, TPI Software specializes in applications that integrate payment functions with …
Read More »With Contactless, It’s Faster Payments That Draw Retailers the Most
The primary reason contactless payments are gaining favor with merchants has to do with speedier transactions and other point-of-sale efficiencies, while retailers installing or planning to install the technology show little concern about its security, according to a recent survey of retail companies. Some 58% of 160 respondents to the …
Read More »Prepaid Health-Care Debit Cards Get a Boost from Wal-Mart
Prepaid debit cards linked to tax-advantaged employee flexible-spending accounts (FSAs) for medical expenses have been growing quickly in recent years, but they got a big boost this week when leading retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced it had implemented technology that will spare the customer from sorting FSA-qualifying items from ineligible …
Read More »Chase Paymentech Reaps E-Commerce Gains From Holiday Traffic
While some analysts and retailers are describing the 2006 holiday spending period as mediocre, the recently ended season turned out to be bountiful for the nation's leading merchant acquirer, Dallas-based Chase Paymentech Solutions LLC. Chase Paymentech, which publishes its Chase Paymentech Pulse Index of holiday transaction and sales volume generated …
Read More »Early Success at TigerDirect Could Boost SECURE-eBill’s Prospects
It's early yet, but both daily transactions and average order value have been rising for payments accepted by TigerDirect Inc.'s Web site through online payment system SECURE-eBill, says Marwan Forzley, the chief executive of Ottawa-based MODASolutions, which markets the system to online merchants. TigerDirect, a Miami-based merchant that sells electronics …
Read More »More Vending Machines, Plus Toll Road, Taking Contactless Payments
MasterCard Worldwide and USA Technologies Inc., which have been working together to equip vending machines to accept card payments, including contactless transactions, have announced the first deployments in a planned 5,000-machine rollout. The two companies also said they are installing gear on the Ohio Turnpike to accept contactless tokens for …
Read More »MasterCard Targets Unbanked With Prepaid Retailer Network
MasterCard prepaid cards received new utility this week when MasterCard Worldwide launched a network of retailers, dubbed MasterCard rePower, at whose locations cardholders can use cash to add value to MasterCard- and Maestro-branded prepaid cards. The first rePower reload transaction took place Monday at a Village Pantry convenience store in …
Read More »How ECHO Fits Into Intuit’s ‘Single Payments Portal’ Strategy
Mutual need brought Electronic Clearing House Inc. (ECHO) and Intuit Inc. together in the $142 million deal, announced last week, that will make Camarillo, Calif-based processor ECHO part of Intuit, Mountain View, Calif., some time in the first quarter (Digital Transactions News, Dec. 15). Intuit, marketer of the popular QuickBooks …
Read More »