The Malvern, Pa., payment technology company USA Technologies Inc. has installed contactless card readers at 4,000 more vending machines.
USA Technologies said Wednesday that its ePort contactless terminal, which accepts MasterCard Inc.'s PayPass cards, is now available at 17,500 machines in 17 states.
Research has shown that sales at vending machines rise 20% to 50% in the first year after they are equipped with the ePort technology, and on average card purchases are 30% larger than cash ones, USA Technologies said.
"When not limited to the cash they have on hand, consumers are able to purchase what they want, resulting in higher sales," Gerritt Kerkstra, a senior vice president for acquirer relations with MasterCard, said in a press release.
The companies that have expanded their use of ePort to include several national vending machine operators and Coca Cola Enterprises, which is using the terminals in 2,450 of its machines.
The ePort technology also allows companies to monitor and manage vending machines online, USA Technologies said.
