By Peter Lucas@DTPaymentNews Consumers continue to pay higher fees for out-of-network ATM transactions, but have more access to free, non-interest checking accounts, says Bankrate Inc.’s annual survey of checking-account fees. Combined surcharges levied by

• ATM network operator Cardtronics plc announced it plans to buy Canadian ATM operator DirectCash Payments Inc. (DCPayments) for $460 million; DC Payments operates 25,000 ATMs and will give Cardtronics its first presence in Australia and New Zealand and expand its operations in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. • …

By Kevin Woodward@DTPaymentNews With the U.S. point-of-sale conversion to EMV chip card acceptance well under way, attention turns to the upcoming liability shifts for ATM and fuel-dispenser transactions. First up is MasterCard Inc.’s liability shift for ATMs, which kicks in Oct. 21. Both MasterCard and Visa Inc. also have a …

By Kevin Woodward@DTPaymentNews ATM operators wondering if their machines will be compliant with MasterCard Inc.’s EMV protocols by Saturday, Oct. 1, now have a little more breathing room. MasterCard confirmed to Digital Transactions News Friday that the date, widely thought to be Saturday, is actually Oct. 21. While the Oct. …

By Jim Daly@DTPaymentNews The ATM Industry Association on Monday issued a position paper that once again calls for freedom for deployers to set variable surcharges. The Sioux Falls, S.D.-based trade group took that stance a decade ago, but the coming of EMV chip cards to the U.S. makes the surcharging …

Look for cardless cash access at more ATMs in coming months. Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS) and Payment Alliance International Inc. plan to bring the FIS Cardless Cash service to more than 70,000 PAI ATMs. The deal, announced Friday, will significantly expand the number of participating machines from the …

• Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS) announced it is supplying its FIS Cardless Cash ATM service to cash dispensers operated by Payment Alliance International. Ultimately, the service will include 70,000 ATMs in the PAI ATM network. • The United Kingdom’s Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled that Mastercard Inc. must pay approximately …

• Grocery store giant The Kroger Co. filed a federal lawsuit against Visa Inc. accusing the card network of trying to force it to allow customers to verify EMV debit card purchases with signatures, and thereby route transactions to the Visa network, rather than with PINs as Kroger prefers, The …

There may be less ATM skimming going on than is commonly thought. Most ATMs placed in retail locations—93%—have not experienced a skimming incident, finds a survey from the National ATM Council Inc., which represents independent ATM operators. Skimming happens when a consumer inserts a credit or debit card into what …

A trade group of independent ATM deployers on Thursday issued a report blasting the federal government’s Operation Choke Point targeting high-risk merchants, and the nation’s leading retailer association called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the PCI Security Standards Council on antitrust grounds. While mostly affecting a few merchant …