News

February, 2015

• 23 February

  With Its Softcard Deal, Google Cements Carrier Support And Turns up Heat on Apple Pay

  When Google Inc. launched its Google Wallet mobile-payments service nearly four years ago, it quickly ran into a formidable obstacle: three major mobile carriers, including two of the nation’s largest, wouldn’t let Google Wallet work on their phones. Now Google has finally found a solution, and it’s one that could …
• 20 February

  Many Questions Hang Over Samsung’s LoopPay Deal And What Will Come Next

  There’s a simple reason why Samsung Electronics America Inc. bought LoopPay Inc.: It wants a “truly digital wallet.” That’s the reason given by David Eun, Samsung executive vice president and head of the mega-corporation’s investment unit, Samsung Global Innovation Center. “We have a shared vision to inspire users to transition …
• 19 February

  Heartland Begins a ‘Trusted Dealer Program’ to Bolster Multiple Product Sales

  Heartland Payment Systems Inc. is building a point-of-sale system reseller network in hopes it will increase the number of multiple products sold to a single merchant. Announced Friday, the program is part of Heartland Commerce, and signals a shift in Heartland’s selling strategy. The company will no longer use a …
• 19 February

  Visa Expands Checkout Availability; Says User Base Climbs to More Than 3 Million

  Visa Inc. on Thursday said it is expanding the availability of its Visa Checkout online and mobile wallet to 13 more nations beyond the three original ones. Starting today, consumers in Argentina, Chile, Peru, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, and China can use Visa Checkout to pay for purchases on …
• 19 February

  AmEx Vows Appeal After Federal Court Deals T&E Giant a Loss Over Its Anti-Steering Rules

  By Jim Daly and John Stewart Continuing its recent string of setbacks, American Express Co. Thursday lost a crucial federal court fight in which it defended policies banning merchants from steering AmEx cardholders to cheaper forms of payment. The U.S. Department of Justice and 17 state attorneys general challenged the …
• 19 February

  DoJ, Merchant Group Hail Judge’s Ruling Against AmEx Anti-Steering Rules

  By Jim Daly The U.S. Department of Justice and a merchant group focused on payment card acceptance costs Thursday afternoon hailed a federal district judge’s ruling striking down American Express Co.’s rules banning its merchants from steering AmEx cardholders to lower-cost forms of payment. Earlier in the day, New York …
• 18 February

  Heartland’s Decision to Wind Down Leaf Throws Spotlight on Tablet Software

  Merchants using Leaf, a tablet-based point-of-sale system that its owner Heartland Payment Systems Inc. is winding down, will continue to be supported, but there will be no further sales of the system, Leaf president Sarah McCrary tells Digital Transactions News. The expense and complication of supporting hardware to accept chip …
• 18 February

  Samsung Buys LoopPay, a Key Building Block for a Samsung M-Payments Service

  LoopPay Inc., the mobile payments company that relies on magnetic fields to connect devices to point-of-sale terminals, has a new owner: Samsung Electronics America Inc. The deal, announced in an email to LoopPay users, all but confirms that smart-phone maker Samsung has plans to launch what has been a much-rumored …
• 17 February

  Merchants Worldwide Are Installing More Contactless Terminals—And Turning on NFC

  With technologies like Apple Pay and host card emulation reviving prospects for mobile payments using near-field communication, merchants are starting to install more NFC devices at the point of sale. And, more important, they’re starting to turn on the NFC capability. That’s according to a report issued Tuesday by Berg …
• 16 February

  COMMENTARY: EMV, End of E-Commerce, IPOs Will Reshape Payments This Year

  In the far future, when someone sits down and writes the definitive history of payments (riveting), 2014 is going to be a big year. Bitcoin reached historic highs but then went sideways. We had the introduction of Apple Pay, which was a major step forward for mobile wallets. The sheer …