Credit Cards

In an effort to make its cards more financially attractive to merchants, American Express Co. plans to cut its worldwide discount rate by potentially up to three times the level it had previously predicted for 2018. AmEx, generally the costliest of the major card brands for merchants to accept, typically …

The number of debit cards compromised at ATMs and merchant terminals increased 10% in the United States last year, according to antifraud-technology vendor FICO. Newtek Business Services Inc., owner of Newtek Merchant Solutions and Premier Payments LLC, says its payments unit processed $6.1 billion in volume last year. Point-of-sale terminal …

Some 12,000 restaurants in 100 countries already use Toronto-based TouchBistro Inc.’s iPad-based point-of-sale software, but a new agreement with JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s WePay subsidiary could put TouchBistro in touch with many more U.S. eateries. TouchBistro and Chase on Tuesday unveiled TouchBistro Payments Powered by WePay, which will launch this …

Amazon.com Inc.’s interest in launching a checking-account-like product, reported Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal, could have deep roots in its strategy both for payments in general and for Amazon Pay, the payment wallet it operates for non-Amazon sites, expert observers say. Talks between the Seattle-based retailing colossus and banks …

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business announced Monday an agreement with JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Chase Merchant Services that the trade group of small and medium-sized merchants says could bring cuts of nearly 50% for accepting American Express Co. cards to its 110,000 members. The Toronto-based CFIB said Chase, its …

More than two years after the U.S. migration to EMV chip cards accelerated, evidence of the success of the effort continues to emerge. Merchant acquirer Square Inc. says nearly 92% of the transactions it processed as of December were made with EMV-enabled credit and debit cards. While the advent of …

The merger of payment processors Vantiv Inc. and London-based Worldpay Group plc was completed Jan. 16, and up next for leaders of the combined company is integration of operational platforms, selling products to a wider customer base, and achieving their goal of $200 million in cost savings in three years. …

Many merchants—98%—are looking to make investments in their checkout systems this year, finds the Merchant Credit Survey from Vyze Inc., a consumer financing provider. Investing in financing programs ranked high, with 97% saying they anticipate focusing on financing and credit options. Most merchants—92%—plan to make mobile app and mobile Web …

At a time when the payment card industry continues to struggle with the consequences of data breaches, the last thing acquirers and issuers need is a slowdown in merchant compliance with critical data-security rules. Yet that is what’s going on, warn the Merchant Acquirers Committee and ControlScan Inc. in survey …

Discover Financial Services cardholders will be able to make point-of-sale contactless purchases with wearables and Internet of Things devices that use FitPay Inc.’s FitPay Payment Platform under an agreement announced Monday by the two companies. The new service will provision payment credentials using the Discover Digital Exchange, Riverwoods, Ill.-based Discover’s …