Contactless payments already capture a big share of point-of-sale purchases in Canada, and that share is sure to grow with recent announcements by Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. that they are raising their contactless transaction limits to C$250 to limit the handling of cards that could spread the coronavirus, according …
Read More »Eye on Merchants: An ISO’s Restaurant Service; Hilton, AmEx Donate Rooms; Visa’s $210 Million Commitment
As many merchants, especially those in hospitality, are challenged by slumping consumer demand amid the Covid-19 outbreak, payments companies are developing new resources and designating millions in aid. Restaurants, in particular, are experiencing steep drops in demand as consumers abide by shelter-at-home directives. They’re closing their dine-in spaces and, if …
Read More »Scammers Target Stimulus Money and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 4/6/20
Scammers are calling consumers to gull them into giving up personal financial details as a way of allegedly receiving stimulus money sooner from the CARES Act, warned the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons.Prepaid card program manager Paysign Inc. reported its 2019 revenue increased 48% year-over-year to $34.7 million. Net …
Read More »Grocer Publix Activating Contactless Payment Acceptance and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 4/3/20
Supermarket giant Publix said it is installing contactless-payment capability in all 1,242 of its stores in an effort expected to be completed by Saturday. The move will allow customers with mobile devices to pay via Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. The chain also said it is beefing up efforts to …
Read More »New Data Show Even Necessities Aren’t Immune to Covid-19’s Impact on Card Spending
The Covid-19 virus is taking a fearful toll not only on lives but also on U.S. commerce, and now even everyday staples are feeling the pinch. Grocery stores saw a sharp spike in card-based purchase volume in March as consumers scrambled to lay in supplies against the rapid spread of …
Read More »Eye on Merchants: CardFlight Says Small Business Sales Down; E-Commerce Sales Growth Continues
A decline in transactions at small and mid-size businesses accelerated through March as consumers react to shelter-at-home and social-distancing precautions, according to data from point-of-sale technology provider CardFlight Inc. But their spending shifted to e-commerce in many merchant categories, finds data from Signifyd, a vendor of e-commerce fraud solutions. Sales …
Read More »Shopify Purges Thousands of Merchants for Price Gouging and Making False Covid-19 Claims
Scammers come out of the woodwork with every calamity, and it’s no different with the Covid-19 pandemic currently sweeping the world. Now e-commerce services and payments provider Shopify Inc. reports it has purged numerous merchants engaged in questionable practices related to the new coronavirus, or Covid-19. “In March, we terminated …
Read More »Consumers Warm to Digital Payments and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 4/2/20
Seventy-three percent of U.S. adults say they would be more or much more likely to use digital payments or digital banking services during a time of social distancing, according to a survey of 1,043 persons aged 18 and up by The Harris Poll on behalf of William Mills Agency. The canvass took …
Read More »U.S. E-Commerce Growth Surges for Many Merchants Amid the Covid-19 Pandemic
Newly analyzed data from Emarsys, a digital-marketing platform, shows that U.S. e-commerce spending continues to surge in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, with at least a 57% growth in revenue and a 45% growth in orders in the past seven days. The U.S. Northeast region shows a 57% growth …
Read More »Visa Volume Down 7% and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 3/31/20
With the coronavirus pandemic freezing economic activity in the U.S. and many other countries, Visa Inc. reported in a regulatory filing that U.S. credit card payment volume was down 7% year-over-year for the March 1-28 period while debit payments were down 1%. Cross-border volume on a constant-dollar basis was off 19%. …
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