The PCI Security Standards Council on Friday released its first guidelines on mobile-acceptance applications since announcing in November that it had stopped reviewing such products. The Wakefield, Mass.-based Council, which manages the Payment Card Industry data-security standard (PCI), also said it hopes to start forming a broad group of …

  Some 49% of debit card holders would either stop using their cards or use them less often if their issuers slapped a $1-to-$2 monthly fee on their checking accounts in return for unlimited usage, and another 25% would close their accounts altogether, according to consumer research released this week. …

While the payments industry awaits stringent new rules concerning debit card transactions, some processors and technology players are starting to exploit what they see as opportunities in the new regulations. Acculynk Inc., for example, released last week a statement calling on Internet merchants to sign up now for online PIN …

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  With issuers and program managers having come under fire in recent months for allegedly high and numerous consumer fees for prepaid products, American Express Co. on Tuesday launched a reloadable prepaid card that levies no activation or maintenance fees. It also charges no reload fee when value is loaded …

  n n n n Inner Fence refers applicants to its ISO partner, Dublin, Ohio-based Merchant Focus Inc., for merchant accounts. The service uses the Authorize.net gateway for access to the payment networks. Merchants pay a $25 monthly fee, plus 24 cents and 1.74% to 3.79% of the sale, depending …

  Visa Inc. on Thursday cemented into place two more pieces of a developing strategy for what is rapidly turning into a hotly competitive market for mobile payments. The world’s largest card network announced it had struck an agreement with Monitise PLC, a U.K.-based provider of mobile services for financial …

Defenders of the debit card interchange status quo saw their last, best hope to delay draconian Federal Reserve regulations from taking effect go down to defeat Wednesday afternoon. An amendment in the U.S. Senate that would have delayed the Fed’s rules died on a 54-45 vote, six shy of the …

  Slow acceptance among merchants and consumers appears to be the underlying cause for Bling Nation’s decision to suspend operation of its PayConnect and FanConnect mobile services. Palo Alto, Calif.-based Bling said earlier this week that it is pausing operations to retool its services in response to feedback from merchants …

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