Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals
Amazon.com Inc. quietly killed its PayPhrase online-authentication service on Feb. 20, not quite two-and-a-half years after introducing the system. The PayPhrase credentials system allowed online shoppers to check out using only a word or phrase of their choosing and a PIN that they had registered with the Amazon Payments service. …
March, 2012
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19 March
Studies: Gift Cards Preferred to Higher-Value Gifts, While Many Prepaid Holders Are Banked
As the prepaid card market matures, more data are emerging about surprising consumer behavior regarding prepaid cards or that challenge the conventional wisdom. For example, research commissioned by big processor First Data Corp., a major player in the prepaid space, found that given a choice between taking a gift or …
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19 March
Bill Payments by Paper Check Fade As ACH Bill Pay Continues Its Growth Spurt
New data from automated clearing house governing body NACHA reaffirm the continuing gains of electronic bill payment and the long-term decline in consumer check writing to pay bills. NACHA’s report for 2011’s fourth quarter says that transactions under the so-called WEB standard entry class code for Internet bill-payment debits grew …
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15 March
PayPal Announces a Merchant-Acceptance App That Goes Beyond Cards
The news leaked earlier this week, but PayPal confirmed on Thursday it has created a mobile-acceptance product to compete with the myriad such services already on the market from hardware and software companies, as well as merchant processors. Still, PayPal’s product, called PayPal Here, may stand out from the crowd …
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15 March
Discover Releases an EMV Plan That Echoes Key Deadlines from Visa, MasterCard
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13 March
Banks Can Mine P2P for Big Revenue If They Can Get It Right, Networks Say
Financial institutions have much to gain from fees and cost savings if they offer person-to-person payments and get it right, according to representatives of three leading P2P networks who spoke on a panel at a banking conference on Monday. The keys to getting this relatively nascent payment form right lie …
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13 March
Why Durbin May Prove To Be a Prepaid Blessing for AmEx And Discover
With banks struggling to find their way in the new Durbin era that puts controls on their debit and prepaid card operations, the door is opening wider for American Express Co. and Discover Financial Services to win new prepaid card business, according to two attorneys familiar with payment card interchange …
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13 March
PayPal Lifts the Curtain on an Overhauled Wallet As Rumors Swirl About a Mobile Dongle
With rumors swirling that it is close to launching a mobile-acceptance device for small merchants, PayPal Inc. on Tuesday unveiled a digital wallet that offers a raft of new features at a time when major rivals like Google Inc. and Visa Inc. are introducing new wallets. PayPal’s product, which it …
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9 March
Consumers Look to Tech Firms for Innovation But Place Their Trust in Banks
Countless news reports have reported or speculated about what Google Inc., Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc., and Facebook Inc. have done or might do in mobile payments. Consumers, however, don’t rate these four companies as highly as they do their own banks or traditional payment companies in trustworthiness involving their financial …
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9 March
Citing Time Pressures, the ETA Asks Visa to Delay New Acquirer Fee
Accusing Visa Inc. of a “lack of regard” for its members, the Electronic Transactions Association merchant-acquiring trade group sent a letter to the card network March 7 asking that it delay implementation of a new fixed fee until acquirers have time to reprogram their back offices and make other adjustments. …