Cards

Soon, even unbanked consumers can accept payment cards.

Consumers who travel overseas may present the best opportunity for U.S. card issuers to roll out EMV chip cards and remain competitive in that market, according to Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance.

Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam will deploy biometric ATMs in the Southeast Asian country of Brunei to increase banking convenience for it customers, the financial institution announced Nov. 10.

South Korea’s antitrust watchdog reportedly has launched a probe into whether banks and card networks manipulated the service fees they charge their customers, local newspaper the Korea Herald reported Nov. 20.

Retail shoppers who download a Shopkick Inc. mobile application on their smartphones to earn rewards points, or “kicks,” by walking into a store now may earn extra points by paying for purchases with a Visa-branded credit or debit card, Visa announced Nov. 21.

At least one merchant-funded rewards provider agrees the market is large enough to support two or three key players.

International funds-transfer providers have begun to acknowledge that most consumers in their remittance-heavy target markets use mobile phones as a primary tool. As such, services that require visits to a physical location or access to a personal computer are unlikely to catch on, some insiders say.

India’s top taxing authority officially has approved allowing consumers to pay their taxes at ATMs after many banks began offering the option to their customers.

Jammu and Kashmir Bank Ltd. is raising the daily ATM-withdrawal and purchase-transaction limits on its debit cards to increase cardholder convenience, the India-based issuer announced Nov. 21.

First Data Corp. has completed the merger of its transportation payment services with Transportation Clearing House LLC, creating a joint venture the companies hope will become a leading card provider in the transportation industry, the card processor announced Nov. 17.

Isis has had a big week, as 45 partners of the GSM Association mobile operator trade group agreed to support the joint venture’s preferred payments model: Near Field Communication that uses SIM cards used in many mobile phones.

Consumer groups are banding together to urge the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to require prepaid debit card issuers to provide consumers with the same mandatory protections that come with traditional debit cards under Regulation E of the Electronic Funds Transfer Act.

In light of recent Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council recommendations regarding advanced encryption, acquirers and processors are giving greater attention to the hardware-security module used to protect card data while transactions are processed, a technician who specializes in security devices suggests.

As major U.S. cities with complex transportation systems explore converting to an electronic fare-collection structure that would accept open-loop contactless cards, mobile payments are becoming a factor in future planning.

More consumers might try making mobile payments if more large merchants supported them, new survey data suggest.

The hotel industry successfully introduced “resort fees.” The airlines gradually added baggage-handling fees. Cell phone and cable TV marketers steadily increase fees for expanding services.

3G Direct Pay Ltd. has signed agreements with telecommunication operators Safaricom Ltd. and Airtel Ltd. to provide immediate transaction settlements for the two African companies’ funds-transfer services, the e-commerce firm announced Nov. 16.

NFinanSe Inc. is suing InComm Inc. in federal court for allegedly attempting to fix the price of reloading prepaid cards and violating its distribution agreement.

Mobile-payment proponents let out a collective groan when Apple Inc.’s latest iPhone 4S lacked a Near Field Communication chip.

Like a pop star who sells more records posthumously, the Google Checkout payment service may prove most beneficial to Google after it is phased out.