First compliance deadline set for April 2013. American Express issuer is joining MasterCard, Visa and Discover in integrating EMV chip-based contact, contactless and mobile payments for its American Express-branded cards in the U.S., Contactless News Online reported. Merchants, processors and issuers of AmEx cards will need to comply with its requirements and deadlines: • April…
New State Law Causes AmEx to Pull Gift Cards in N.J.
American Express Co. has become the first company to pull its gift cards from New Jersey convenience stores, pharmacies and groceries rather than attempt to comply with a new wrinkle in the state’s unclaimed property law. AmEx spokeswoman Vanessa McCutchen told the Associated Press that the company began pulling gift cards sold through third-party retailers…
Shop Around The Clock
7-Eleven has an array of gifts for last minute shoppers this holiday season. With retailers opening their stores even earlier for Black Friday door-buster sales, shoppers started the hunt for December holiday deals as early as Thanksgiving evening, jockeying for flat-screen TVs and fighting over waffle irons. But shopping in the middle of the night…
FedEx Giveaway Benefits Small Business
Visit the FedEx Facebook page today to get your free gift card. Starting Nov. 1, FedEx plans to distribute $1 million in gift cards to be used at small businesses on Small Business Saturday. The free gift cards – each worth $25 – will be distributed through www.facebook.com/FedEx starting at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday,…
Stacking the Cards In Your Favor
General purpose prepaid debit cards are rapidly gaining favor with consumers as an alternative to closed-loop gift cards. By John Lofstock, Editor. Sales of open-loop prepaid cards, issued by banks and credit card companies and able to be used at multiple establishments, are only going to go up as more consumers come to appreciate their…
The Fight for Interchange Reform Continues
The long and winding road to controlling credit card fees took yet another turn on Oct. 12, 2010, when TCF National Bank, a subsidiary of TCF Financial Corp., filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Durbin Amendment, which was included in the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010, also known…
Data Security Standards: Are You Prepared?
PCI compliance deadlines continue to barrel toward the convenience store industry, yet many operators are still not up to speed on precisely what they need to do, or how to do it. The Payment Card Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), developed by the PCI Security Standards Council and endorsed by American Express, Discover Financial Services,…
Prepaid Cards: The Sky’s the Limit
Prepaid cards have been used in the U.S. for about 20 years, and forward-thinking marketers continue finding new ways to use and promote them. This is a boon for convenience retailers, many of whom have been instrumental in growing the category. Prepaid cards were invented in Europe in the mid-70s when Italians found themselves short…