Prepaid Cards

The outcome in a patent-infringement case in May is hindering the development of the prepaid wireless business in the U.S. at a time when the market is already behind overseas markets in usage, a report released by a major research firm says. According to the report from the Yankee Group, …

After five years of development, Boca Raton, Fla.-based startup ECOM Financial Corp. is planning to introduce an anonymous, disposable prepaid card that will clear transactions through the MasterCard network and be usable for purchases on the Internet as well as at the point of sale. The company, which says it …

With banks issuing or planning to issue more and more prepaid debit cards to handle remittances overseas, more banks are expected to enter the market, putting pressure on the established money-transfer businesses like Western Union Holdings Inc., a new research report concludes. According to the report, entitled “Money Transfer Cards …

A Seattle-based startup that has been quietly testing a contactless payment system intended to be branded and controlled by merchants is now marketing the system as a way for retailers to control rising card-acceptance costs. Accelitec Inc. says its PayPilot system, which includes token dispensers, tokens equipped with chip-and-transmitter inlays, …

The booming business in gift and other stored-value cards, which represent an increasing share of sales for merchants of all sizes, is beginning to have an ominous side effect for online merchants: a hike in bad debt. The prepaid plastic, which carries a fixed value in cash and can benefit …

Customer incentives represent a growing new niche for gift cards, according to the results of a new survey. Of some 68 decision-makers canvassed, 52% said they are likely to offer gift cards as a customer incentive in the next 12 months. Of all industries represented in the survey, restaurants represent …

Debitman Inc., a non-bank PIN debit network linking tens of thousands of merchant locations, will launch a PIN-secured stored-value card by Sept. 30 that will bear merchant branding on the front, with Debitman's mark on the back. John K. Lannan, chief executive of the Chico, Calif.-based company, says heavy-duty marketing …

A pair of companies specializing in stored-value products for the underbanked population are reaching beyond prepaid cards to extend credit and savings options to their cardholders. Next Estate Communications Inc., which launched its Green Dot Financial Network to support check-cashing and prepaid cards, already offers its cardholders a program to …

Efunds Corp. signaled its intention to move aggressively into the burgeoning market for prepaid products today with an announcement that it is buying WildCard Systems Inc., a Sunrise, Fla.-based processor, for $228.8 million in cash. The deal, which is expected to close early next month, will add prepaid debit to …

Although it's a minuscule portion of the total value of retailer-issued gift cards sold in the U.S., the nascent aftermarket for these cards is set for a boom, according to recent research by TowerGroup Inc., Needham, Mass. About 4,500 cards are currently available for auction on a number of recently …