POS and Retail

Kids' school lunch money has become a new payments-industry battleground.

New Jersey and Pennsylvania commuters now may use American Express Co.’s ExpressPay contactless cards to pay for rides on the Port Authority Transit Corp. Speedline rapid-transit system or to park in terminal garages.

Square Inc. appears to have international growth on its agenda.

More than 6,500 cabs will receive payment systems integrated with driver and passenger information tablet displays under a five-year contract awarded to VeriFone Systems Inc. by the District of Columbia Taxicab Commission, the terminal maker announced July 11.

JCB International do Brasil Representacão Comercial Ltda. began operations in São Paulo, Brazil, on July 1, JCB International Co. Ltd., the international operations subsidiary of Japan-based JCB, announced July 11.

British Airways, the United Kingdom’s largest international airline with 600 global destinations, says it will strengthen its protection of payment card data when customers purchase tickets online.

Bipin C. Shah is credited with pioneering ATM networks, 24-hour ATM service, payroll debit cards, debit at the point of sale, cash-back with debit cards and pay at the pump. These days, he’s focusing his creativity on merchants.

If a Qualified Security Assessor tests–and passes–a business for payments security compliance, that business may feel it could rest on its laurels.

The tom-toms are beating louder for action among issuers, merchants and processors in the U.S. migration to EMV smart card technology.

A Philadelphia-based company is buying an independent sales organization, a processor and a payroll-services company to pursue the goal of providing complete payments services to small merchants.

Heartland Payment Systems Inc. has landed another school-meals payment player, further boosting its market share in the educational foodservice arena.

IVR Technology Group and Fundtech have formed a partnership that expands the functionality of IVR Technology Group’s Pay-by-Phone virtual terminal, the companies announced July 9.

At first, Google seemed to have all of the necessary ingredients for a mobile wallet and Isis had the uphill climb of convincing banks to agree to a system designed by a group of telcos. Isis now has several top banks firmly behind it, but it faces many challenges as well.

Consumers may not be pushing for stronger card security because they feel overly protected by the systems in use today. But they do face real costs for fraud.

Cielo, a payments company based in Brazil, announced July 2 that it is buying a U.S. company, Merchant e-Solutions.

When Joe Randazza first began filing National Payment Card Association patents seven years ago for decoupled debit products and processes, he admits he "didn't have the vision to foresee a future with smartphones."

American Express plans to begin issuing secure chip cards in the U.S. this year, and it has released a timeline for merchants to follow in accepting those cards. Like every other network's roadmap, Amex sticks closely to the plan Visa announced last August.

Google's most recent update to its mobile wallet's online pricing seems to stray from the product's focus at the point of sale. It's the latest in a series of twists and turns in Google's payments strategy.

To hear Dan Wagner tell it, one would think the CEO of London-based mPowa was ready to enter the ring for a prizefight against all comers in the world of mobile card-based payments.

Almost a year ago, the telecommunications companies backing the Isis mobile wallet venture were clear that they would rely on Near Field Communication. But as technology advances, there may be wisdom in adopting an alternative.