The holiday shopping season may be over, but the holiday returns are coming in at full force. Data from PSCU, a credit union service organization, showcases the impact the rise in e-commerce spending is having on returns. Return purchases using debit cards were up 76.2% for the week ending Jan. …
Read More »Mastercard And Partners Will Test Common Android Phones And Tablets As Contactless POS Devices
Mastercard Inc. will test contactless payment acceptance using common Android smart phones and tablets in the United States. The technology, relying on software developed by Mastercard Labs, enables these off-the-shelf devices to accept contactless payments with no special hardware. Announced Monday, the service, called Tap on Phone, intends to capitalize …
Read More »NCR Makes Its Cardtronics Bid and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/11/21
NCR Corp. confirmed it is the party that has made a $39-per-share cash offer to acquire international ATM network operator Cardtronics plc. The last-minute bid trumps a previous, $35-per-share offer from investment firms Hudson Executive Capital and Apollo Global Management.Citizens Financial Group Inc. said it has expanded the reach of its point-of-sale …
Read More »Shift4 Adds to Its In-Venue Gambling Business Via an Expansion Into Online Sports Betting
Processor Shift4 Payments Inc. on Thursday expanded its presence in the gambling industry to include online gambling and fantasy leagues through a partnership with Sightline Payments, a provider of cashless gaming and betting solutions. The partnership complements Shift4’s existing relationships with Las Vegas casinos and other betting venues around the …
Read More »Covid—And a New Partnership—Help Push ParkMobile Into the Garage
The pandemic has in a few months’ time brought changes to the payments business that otherwise might have taken years—even in mundane environments like parking. One big development emerged Thursday with the announcement that TIBA Parking Systems, which manages access to more than 1.9 million parking spaces in the United …
Read More »A Last-Minute Presidential Ban on China-Based Payment Apps Puzzles Payments Experts
An executive order by President Donald Trump banning a pair of major Chinese payments apps comes in the waning days of his administration and may leave more questions than it answers, observers say. The order, issued Tuesday, prohibits transactions on eight China-based apps, including the hugely popular Alipay and WeChat …
Read More »Qualpay Adds Google Pay Support and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/6/21
Payments platform Qualpay said it is now supporting Google Pay transactions in recognition of increasing consumer usage of mobile wallets.Payments-technology provider Cardknox launched a beta version of its partner portal, intended for the use of sales partners and independent sales vendors to onboard and manage merchant-processing accounts.Digital-payments provider Payrailz has launched Action Insights, a service intended …
Read More »PayPal Wins Its Lawsuit Against the CFPB, But the Legal Wrangling Is Far From Over
PayPal Holdings Inc. may have prevailed in its lawsuit against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over the CFPB’s rules pertaining to prepaid cards and digital wallets, but the overarching legal battle is likely to continue. The ruling, which was handed down Dec. 30 by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon and …
Read More »Mobile Wallet Use up and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/5/21
In the week before and the week of Christmas, consumers markedly increased their use of mobile wallets, with mobile wallets loaded with a debit card increasing 79.2% from the same weeks a year ago, according to the Tracking Transaction Trends report from PSCU, a credit union service organization. Use of mobile …
Read More »Afterpay Average Ticket Increases 30% and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 1/4/21
Buy now, pay later provider Afterpay Ltd. said users’ average ticket increased 30% in the fourth quarter compared to the same period in 2019.Affirm Inc. completed its acquisition of PayBright, a buy now, pay later provider in Canada.PayPal Holdings Inc. announced a check cashing feature for select Venmo app users. This enables them to have funds …
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