Out of the gloom surrounding the U.S. economy since the onset of Covid-19 comes a report that consumer spending on credit and debit cards is not only robust, but also stronger than it was even two years ago. Dollar volume on payment cards in July was 21% higher than in …
Read More »The Latest LexisNexis Report Finds the Cost of Fraud Is On The Rise Since the Pandemic Set in
The cost of fraud to merchants has risen since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Each $1 in fraud costs retailers in the United States $3.60 in total expenses, compared to $3.13 pre-pandemic, according to LexisNexis Risk Solutions’ “True Cost of Fraud” study for e-commerce and retail merchants. U.S. e-commerce …
Read More »Fiserv Expands Vending Operations Across Europe in a Deal With Operator Selecta
Fiserv Inc. is rolling out payment-acceptance technology to food-and-beverage vending machines in multiple markets across Europe in a move that supports mobile wallets as well as global and local payment cards. Selecta Group, operator of the machines, says its network supports devices in 16 countries selling snacks, meals, and coffee …
Read More »Installment Payments Arrive for Rent and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 8/24/21
Till Inc., a rental payment provider, announced four new features enabling tenants to pay rent. One, Budget and Save, enables tenants to allocate rent in smaller installments for their entire rent prior to the due date. Landlords still receive the full rent amount on the due date. Another feature, Rewards …
Read More »Mastercard’s Credit Card Fees Find Themselves in the Cross-Hairs of a U.K. Class Action
While the two global payments networks have been embroiled in a controversy over merchant debit card fees in the U.S. market, they also face trouble in the United Kingdom over an even bigger issue: credit card interchange fees. That fact was thrown into relief early Thursday when Reuters reported the …
Read More »Boku M-Payments Network Spans 90 Countries and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 8/19/21
Boku Inc. launched what it says is the world’s largest mobile-payments network. The M1ST Payments Network reaches 5.7 billion mobile-payment accounts in 90 countries and offers more than 330 payment methods, the company says.Global payments provider Adyen NV said Just Eat Takeaway.com, an online food-delivery marketplace, will issue its prefunded Takeaway Pay Card …
Read More »Fiserv’s Carat Adds PayPal And Venmo As Payout Options
Carat, Fiserv Inc.’s digital payout service, has broadened the number of accounts payments can be sent to with the addition of PayPal Holdings Inc. and Venmo. Carat payouts already can be sent to a credit or debit card, via automated clearing house to a bank account, to a prepaid card, …
Read More »Pulse Debit Study: Online And Contactless Usage Surges While Wallets Assert Themselves
The story of debit cards in the pandemic year of 2020 turns out to have several chapters—including higher average tickets, a sharp swing to card-not-present usage, a dramatic surge in contactless adoption, and higher mobile-wallet usage. Meanwhile, account-to-account transfers turned out to be the fastest-growing form of debit, though usage …
Read More »How Paysafe Sees Its SafetyPay Deal As a Major Move Into Open Banking
Open banking has been a big trend in payments for some time, and now traditional payment processors are getting in on the action. Paysafe Group Holdings Ltd. early on Monday announced it has agreed to pay $441 million to acquire Miami-based SafetyPay, a 15-year-old provider of digital payments for cash-paying …
Read More »Mastercard’s Magstripe Farewell and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 8/16/21
Mastercard Inc. said it will slowly phase out the requirement that its branded cards have a magnetic stripe in favor of the EMV chip. Beginning in 2024, in most markets, newly issued Mastercard credit and debit cards will not be required to bear the magstripe. By 2033, Mastercard said none of …
Read More »

