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Processor Global Payments Inc. says it will offer American Express Co.’s OptBlue merchant-acceptance program to its Canadian merchants beginning June 24.
Participation in OptBlue enables merchant acquirers and independent sales organizations to offer AmEx acceptance to small businesses and set the pricing through a one-stop-shopping option when they sell acceptance of other card brands.
The Global Payments move in Canada comes about a week after the Atlanta-based processor announced it would offer OptBlue acceptance to its U.S. merchants.
AmEx announced OptBlue in 2014 as an effort to boost AmEx-card acceptance among smaller merchants. Prior to the program, AmEx would let acquirers sign merchants for AmEx acceptance, perform servicing, and provide consolidated statements, but the card brand retained pricing control.
With OptBlue, the acquirer owns the relationship, services the account, takes the credit and chargeback risk, and sets pricing based on wholesale rates provided by AmEx.
By offering OptBlue, Global Payments expects to make it easier for its existing merchants to accept AmEx cards and to entice new merchants to do so, Global Payments says in a press release.
Also announcing its participation in the program recently is processor Bank of America Merchant Services, which said earlier this month it has signed on with OptBlue.
On the OptBlue Web site, AmEx lists 17 participating OptBlue acquirers and processors.
On the acceptance front, AmEx last week sustained a setback when a federal appeals court refused to stay an order from a federal trial court requiring the company to allow merchants to offer discounts and other inducements to get customers to use cards other than AmEx plastic. That decision is currently on appeal by AmEx.
