Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals
Pulse EFT Association LP, which has become the latest electronic funds transfer network to introduce a commercial PIN-less debit service that allows cardholders to make recurring payments to certain billers, sees the service as a way to take payment market share from the automated clearing house network. “It's a great …
Read More »Why a Small Bank Sees Big Things in College Prepaid Programs
A small Oklahoma banking company is looking to an ambitious university prepaid card deployment, which also involves contactless payment, to help it diversify a prepaid service it offers primarily to the Hispanic population. Central National Bank, Enid, Okla., is issuing PIN-based prepaid debit cards to the 10,300 students, faculty, and …
Read More »Cap One Extends Debit Reach with $700 Million NetSpend Deal
Capital One Financial Corp.’s decision to buy prepaid card processor NetSpend Corp. comes at a time when the network-branded prepaid card market is rapidly expanding and close on the heels of Cap One’s market-changing move into debit cards that can be held by consumers with accounts at any bank (Digital …
Read More »How Vending Payments Could Benefit from the Change in Reg E
The nascent market for electronic transactions in self-service machines should get a sizable boost from a Federal Reserve rule change set to go into effect Aug. 6, an industry observer notes. The rule change could also foster the development of contactless transactions at these machines, laying the groundwork for payments …
Read More »Online Resources’ $45 Million ITS Deal Beefs up Its Biller Business
In a deal that will expand its client base of billers by 50%, Online Resources Corp. on Thursday announced it is buying Internet Transaction Solutions Inc. for $45 million in cash and stock. The Chantilly, Va.-based bill-payment processor says ITS, which processes payments for some of the country's largest collections …
Read More »Early Signs Are Positive for Amtrak’s Wireless POS Devices
Wireless card-payment devices deployed systemwide this spring by Amtrak to sell food and beverage items are making a favorable impression on passengers and boosting sales while cutting chargebacks, an executive with the national railroad says. Amtrak is now planning to start using wireless terminals to sell tickets on trains, adds …
Read More »Branded Prepaid Growth Is Lapping That of Private Label, Report Says
The two major sides of today's prepaid card industry, branded or general purpose on one side and private label on the other, both still have enormous growth potential, but the branded side has the stronger prospects, according to a new report from Boston-based financial research firm Aite Group LLC. Aite …
Read More »A House Antitrust Panel Becomes the Latest Interchange Battlefield
The Capitol Hill spotlight shone again on payment card acceptance costs Thursday when a U.S. House of Representatives antitrust panel held a hearing to investigate interchange. At issue is the question whether the federal government should play any role regarding this most controversial aspect of card pricing. Bank interests are …
Read More »Card-Based Bill Payments Take Another Step with Billeo Product
Billeo Inc., whose software streamlines online bill payment for consumers, this week announced new product enhancements that the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company hopes will allow banks to earn more bill-payment revenue. It also extends the company's reach into online shopping with a new software component that automatically fills out online …
Read More »Eyeing Decoupled Debit Cards, Tempo Begins Wooing Bank Issuers
With an eye to Capital One Financial Corp.'s introduction last month of a so-called decoupled debit card product, which relies on settlement through the automated clearing house network and so does not require cardholders to have a demand-deposit account with Cap One (Digital Transactions News, June 7), debit network sponsor …
Read More »