Top executives at Total System Services Inc. on Tuesday predicted big results from the Columbus, Ga.-based processor’s new Vital line of point-of-sale payment devices but also warned the onset of a massive federal regulation this spring will crimp prepaid card revenues in 2019. They also assured analysts on a conference …
Read More »Data Breaches Fell in 2018, But Records Exposed More Than Doubled, Non-Profit Reports
The number of known data breaches fell 24% in 2018, but the number of compromised records that contained sensitive personally identifiable information more than doubled from 2017’s levels to over 450 million, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s latest annual data-breach review. The San Diego-based non-profit and partner CyberScout …
Read More »Only 14% Use Mobile Payments and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/29/19
Just 14% of U.S. smart-phone users are using mobile-payments services from smart-phone makers, such as Apple Pay from Apple Inc., according to a survey from Juniper Research, which says “the window of opportunity in the U.S. for mobile-payment providers like Apple Pay and Google Pay is closing fast.” The survey …
Read More »A New Marriott Card Lineup Lets AmEx Launch a Contactless Expansion
When JPMorgan Chase & Co. announced in November it would soon start mass-issuing contactless Visa cards, industry experts expected the move to at last kickstart a trend in the U.S. payments industry toward tap-and-pay EMV plastic. But while most experts thought Chase’s decision might stir smaller banks to follow suit, …
Read More »Discover’s Contactless Fitness Improves Through Its Link-Up With Garmin Pay
Holders of Discover cards can now add their cards to the Garmin Pay mobile wallet for Garmin International Inc. wearable devices to make contactless payments, Discover Financial Services and Garmin announced Monday. Today’s announcement means that Discover is joining Visa and Mastercard as a payment option for Garmin Pay wallet …
Read More »Chase Adds Another Contactless Card and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/23/19
JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Chase credit card unit and the Marriott International Inc. hotel chain introduced a contactless cobranded card, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card, to replace the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus card. American Express Co. announced the rebranding of its current portfolio of cards for customers of Marriott International Inc.’s …
Read More »Target, Taco Bell, And Other Chains Are the Latest to Sign up for Apple Pay
Apple Inc. on Tuesday announced Target Corp., Taco Bell, and two regional chains are the latest merchants to agree to accept Apple Pay in-store, a development that could bolster the mobile-payments service and further smooth the road for contactless payments in the United States. Separately, Target announced it will also …
Read More »Most Merchants—78%—Experience Fewer Chargebacks Under New Visa Rules, Says One Survey
Almost a year after Visa Inc. altered the chargeback-resolution process, merchants are reaping some of the benefit. A survey of 500 Chargeback Gurus merchants found that 78% have fewer chargebacks under the Visa Claims Resolution program. “The first goal was to streamline the dispute process,” Suresh Dakshina, Chargeback Gurus president, …
Read More »AmEx Logs a $2 Billion Fourth-Quarter Profit As Card Volume And Discount Revenue Rise
American Express Co. on Thursday reported a $2 billion profit for the fourth quarter of 2018, representing a significant turnaround from a $1.2 billion loss in the final quarter of 2017. Last year, the New York City-based card giant took a $2.6 billion charge in the fourth quarter that was …
Read More »Fiserv Stuns the Industry With a Massive All-Stock Acquisition of First Data
In a stunning announcement that surprised many observers, Fiserv Inc. said Wednesday morning it has struck a deal to acquire First Data Corp. with what the parties say will be the biggest ever such transaction in the payments and financial-technology businesses. The all-stock deal, expected to close in the third …
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