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Customer incentives represent a growing new niche for gift cards, according to the results of a new survey. Of some 68 decision-makers canvassed, 52% said they are likely to offer gift cards as a customer incentive in the next 12 months. Of all industries represented in the survey, restaurants represent …
Read More »AmEx: So Far So Good with MBNA, Though It’s Still Early in BofA Deal
American Express Co. has so far seen no change in its relationship with MBNA Corp., which last year began issuing cards on AmEx's network in the U.S. but is now in the process of being acquired by Bank of America Corp. in a $35 billion deal that was announced late …
Read More »Debitman Readies a Stored-Value Card for a Late ’05 Launch
Debitman Inc., a non-bank PIN debit network linking tens of thousands of merchant locations, will launch a PIN-secured stored-value card by Sept. 30 that will bear merchant branding on the front, with Debitman's mark on the back. John K. Lannan, chief executive of the Chico, Calif.-based company, says heavy-duty marketing …
Read More »Webpay’s Click&Buy Maps Strategy for Major U.S. Expansion
An Internet-based payments network that originated in Europe is targeting the increasingly competitive U.S. micropayments market, seeking major-brand U.S. merchants and looking for licensees here for its software. Webpay Inc., a unit of Switzerland-based Webpay International, set up shop in Manhattan 11 months ago and so far has recruited 30 …
Read More »U.S. Wireless Subscribers Exceed Landline Hookups for the First Time
In a development with implications for mobile commerce in the U.S., the number of wireless subscribers has for the first time exceeded the number of landline connections in this country. According to a report compiled by the Federal Communications Commission, there were 181.1 mobile subscriptions in place on Dec. 31, …
Read More »Star Survey: Consumers Prefer PIN, While PIN Fees Are Less Frequent
Consumers generally prefer PIN-based debit to signature debit, and are less frequently subjected by banks and merchants to fees for PIN-debit usage, according to a recent survey. At the same time, the number of banks offering rewards incentives to consumers for PIN-debit usage, already a small minority, is declining, says …
Read More »41st Parameter Gets Set to Roll out More Potent Anti-Phishing Software
Mindful of the rapid spread of online frauds depending on phishing, The 41st Parameter Inc. plans next month to roll out a new version of its machine-authentication technology. The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company is already piloting the new version of its software, called TimeDiff Linking, and last week filed for an …
Read More »United Bank Card Rolls Out New Weekly Bonus Payouts for ISOs
United Bank Card Inc. is introducing two new weekly-payout bonus programs for independent sales organizations and increasing payment frequency on a third incentive program to weekly, as well. The Hampton, N.J.-based acquiring processor says it has begun paying an incremental $30 to $40 to ISOs and sales agents for each …
Read More »Card-Data Thefts Increase Jitters Among Online Consumers
The steady drumbeat of card-data breaches is a major factor causing rising anxiety among consumers who use the Internet for shopping and other financial transactions, the Conference Board reported today. In a quarterly survey of 10,000 households sponsored by the New York-based business organization, 13% of all online consumers say …
Read More »Visa Enables Merchant Campaigns Customized to Single Cardholders
Visa U.S.A. today announced that starting in October it will begin tracking cardholder transaction data at the full 16-digit account number level, allowing issuers and merchants for the first time to target unique promotions and other marketing campaigns at individuals. “Now we can enable [marketing to] a cardholder of one,” …
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