E-Commerce Peter Lucas Gateways have always had to reinvent themselves. Now, with e-commerce returning to double-digit growth and mobile payments poised for takeoff, they have to do it again—and this time with more competition than ever. Since their inception about a decade ago, gateways have marketed value-added services, such as …

Opinion & Analysis Steve Mott Banks and card networks argue Durbin and other recent regulation will hurt small banks and consumers. But take heart, the sky will remain firmly in place. The cries of anguish from the banking industry and from the payments players that live off banking’s traditional revenue …

By Lauri Giesen Acquirers and payment specialists are coming out with new services for small and mid-size health-care providers to convert paper-based payments into electronics. But it’s a delicate, time-consuming undertaking. In some ways, moving cash and paper-based payments to electronics is not much different for health-care providers than it …

The Electronic Transactions Association on Thursday released what it called “guiding principles” that would govern how payment card networks communicate with and implement operational changes that affect merchant acquirers. The guidelines ask the networks to release changes to interchange schedules and operational rules just twice a year and give processors …

Cover Story Going for a Checkmate VeriFone’s buyout of Hypercom will further its dominance of America’s POS terminal industry, which is in the throes of rapid change. Is there life beyond the box? BY JIM DALY It’s not your father’s point-of-sale business any more. It’s not even your older brother’s. …

The War on Attrition Jane Adler High attrition rates are likely to continue as the economy finds its footing and competition among acquirers for merchants remains fierce. After being rocked by recession and weak recovery for several years, merchant acquirers may have felt like they turned the corner in December …

Mobile payments are getting increasingly competitive, and this week the competition ratcheted up even more. Intuit Inc., maker of the QuickBooks accounting software for small businesses, is now offering a free credit card reader for smart phones to merchants using its GoPayment mobile service. Intuit also is waiving monthly service …

In the wake of the Federal Reserve Board’s proposed interchange caps for debit cards, as well as Visa Inc.’s decision to introduce dual interchange tables for debit, much discussion has focused on the impact of radically reduced interchange income on issuing banks. But an often overlooked factor concerns just how …

United Bank Card Inc., a big independent sales organization that touched off the so-called free-terminal trend seven years ago, has begun offering merchants full-blown point-of-sale business-management hardware and software at no charge. It is also offering its outside sales representatives a $300 commission per terminal sold. Many merchant-acquiring industry observers …

Total System Services Inc. on Tuesday brought to an end a short-lived joint venture with First National Bank of Omaha by buying the 49% of FNBO unit First National Merchant Solutions LLC it didn’t already own. In the deal, TSYS paid FNBO $169.6 million for the remaining stake, implying a …