The battle between merchants, on one hand, and financial institutions and payment networks, on the other, over the Credit Card Competition Act continues to heat up. The Merchants Payments Coalition on Thursday sent a letter to Congress signed by nearly 2,000 merchants, including hundreds of small businesses, calling on legislators …

Web services and payments provider GoDaddy Inc. released its Tap to Pay on Android point-of-sale service for merchants, complementing the Tap to Pay on iPhone technology it already offers. Tap to Pay on Android enables merchants to use consumer-grade smart phones as contactless payment-acceptance devices without a need for separate …

Affirm Holdings Inc. has extended its reach into the vacation-property rental market through a partnership with Evolve Vacation Rental. Consumers renting vacation properties through Evolve can use Affirm as a payment option for bookings exceeding $500. Consumers pay in monthly installments and as little as 0% interest. Evolve says it …

The Electronic Payments Coalition has come out swinging in the new year as it intensifies its fight against the Credit Card Competition Act. The EPC, which lobbies on behalf of financial institutions and payments networks, late Monday announced it is launching an ad campaign aimed at federal lawmakers. The campaign …

Hospitality point-of-sale system provider GoTab Inc.’s latest product, billed as Phone Only POS, accepts payments on consumer-grade smart phones. It also makes it easier for consumers to pay at the table, GoTab says. The service enables clients to accept contactless credit or debit cards for payment without the need of …

Online shoppers in the United States spent a record $222.1 billion during the holiday shopping season that ran between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, a 4.9%increase from the same period a year earlier, according to Adobe Analytics. November was a strong month for online holiday purchases, with consumers spending $123.5 billion …

Visa Inc. launched its Web3 Loyalty Engagement Solution, a platform that enables rewards for consumers who interact with businesses on digital platforms. Vetster, a telehealth provider for veterinary care, announced it is expanding its services in California to include online diagnosis and prescriptions, with online payments. Reacting to heightened check fraud, …

Digital-payments provider Wirex says it is working with ZeroFox Holdings Inc., a provider of cybersecurity technology, to incorporate ZeroFox’s Dark Web Monitoring app into its platform. Wirex’s blockchain-based service enables consumers to buy, sell, send, spend, and store fiat and crypto currency through the Wirex digital wallet. ZeroFox’s Dark Web …

RDE Inc., owner of Restaurant.com, a popular dining-deals site, has closed on its acquisition of CardCash Exchange LLC, operator of CardCash.com, a secondary gift card marketplace. The deal advances RDE’s presence in gift cards for consumers and merchants. The combined business accounted for more than $100 million in revenue in …

Kindcard Inc., which among other services provides closed-loop payments technology connecting businesses and consumers, said it has entered a letter of intent to acquire OpenTransact from AcePay Inc. OpenTransact offers a banking platform that supports high-risk merchants. Terms were not disclosed. The tokens USDT and USDC dominate the stablecoin market, …