Cards

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – Kinecta FCU said yesterday it will provide its members with MasterCard PayPass contactless payment technology on its credit cards.

Declines in same-store sales at small and midsize businesses appear to be easing up, suggests the Small Business Credit Sales Report.

Citigroup Inc. on Nov. 9 introduced the Citi Flu Care card, a one-time-use Visa debit card the issuer says may dramatically reduce corporations’ cost to provide flu shots and other vaccinations to employees.

Ingenico SA is supplying point-of-sale hardware and transaction-processing and terminal-management services to McDonald’s Australia Ltd., the France-based terminal maker announced Nov. 2.

Kinecta Federal Credit Union has begun issuing contactless credit cards supported by MasterCard Worldwide’s PayPass service to new and existing members, the financial institution announced Nov. 9.

Culver Franchising System Inc. has become the third retailer to support First Data Corp.’s Facebook e-Gift Application, which enables consumers to provide recipients with a code to use to redeem funds provided as a gift at 426 locations, the fast-food restaurant chain announced Nov. 8.

Fundtech Ltd. has begun offering clients of its PayPlus USA service access to American Express Co.’s FX International Payments services, the global banking-transaction services provider announced Nov. 9.

U.S. households sent at least $11.7 billion abroad through remittances during a 12-month period between 2007 and 2008, and typical amounts sent ranged between $500 and $1,000, the U.S. Census Bureau said in a report released Nov. 8.

With mobile access now widely accepted as a consumer channel, more banks are turning their attention to businesses.

In today’s marketplace, where members of the merchant-acquiring community are using every resource available to improve their professional standing and to find new business, many are turning to such social-networking websites as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to get in front of their respective audiences.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 9 will hear oral arguments in a case that may determine whether card issuers may handle customer disputes through arbitration or potentially more costly class-action lawsuits, industry experts say.

Many payments-industry executives are considering taking new jobs for the opportunity to gain professional growth, according to new survey results from TopGrading Solutions Inc.

American Express Co. says it hopes to improve its appeal among online merchants by adding fraud management to cover any payment type — not just its own.

After years of efforts by banks to get their commercial clients to ditch paper checks, electronic payments have finally begun to wrest a significant share of the business-to-business market.

Online Resources Corp. is continuing the development of its new strategic plan, which it intends to detail next month.

Google Inc. said its holiday promotion tool can increase merchants' online sales by 209%.

Supported by CardSmith LLC, Los Angeles-based college-preparatory Windward School this week launched a multifunction school-identification card, the campus card service provider announced on Nov. 1.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. will phase out its debit rewards programs as it braces for changes as a result of pending Federal Reserve rules going into effect next year that will limit debit interchange, the company announced Nov. 4 at an analyst conference in Boston.

Starbucks Corp. customers loaded more than $1.5 billion onto the company’s loyalty cards this year, up 20% from last year, Howard Schultz, Starbucks’ chairman, president and CEO told analysts on Nov. 4 when announcing the company’s earnings for the fiscal fourth quarter.

Women’s specialty apparel retailer Dots LLC has added First Data Corp.’s Facebook application that enables consumers to provide recipients with a code to use to redeem funds provided as a gift at the store’s 400 locations.