POS and Retail

Independent sales organizations may increase their profit potential from cash-advance loans, which merchants pay back using future card receivables, by taking on more of the risk, observers say.

Combining targeted online marketing with social media, Discover Financial Services will begin paying a $50 bounty during the first week of May for each referral who becomes a cardholder, according to a company executive.

WASHINGTON — Sony Corp.'s disclosure that a massive data breach may have let thieves steal the personal information of more than 77 million PlayStation users is playing into the hands of banks attempting to change a Federal Reserve Board proposal to limit debit interchange fees.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla.-Poor service from a credit card service independent sales organization helped convince James McKelvey to co-found Square Inc., the exec told attendees on April 27 at the 23rd annual Card Forum and Expo co-sponsored by PaymentsSource and the American Banker in Miami Beach, Fla.

WASHINGTON — For consumers, convenience and rewards are the most commonly discussed benefits of near field communication for mobile payments. There is also a substantial security benefit, though banks are reluctant to let consumers know.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is in another sparring session with the American Bankers Association and asks the organization to “cut to the chase” regarding the motivations behind the organization’s criticisms of the interchange reform law that Congress enacted last year.

EBay Inc.’s PayPal Inc. unit during the first quarter March 31 continued to expand its global foot print while its other payment unit, Bill Me Later, became a more mainstream payment method in the U.S. with 42% growth to $324 million from $228 in total payments volume.

Cash, not cards, remains the most widely used payment instrument in Australia for low-value payments, a recent Reserve Bank of Australia payments-use study reveals. Cards, however, are the dominant payment method for mid-value payments ranging from AU$50 (US$52 or 36 euros) and AU$500.

The opportunity to capitalize on the explosive growth in payments as the industry steadily moves to electronic and mobile platforms is attracting many new players and business models, but the winners ultimately will be those who can leverage payments on a massive scale, according to Citigroup Inc.’s top enterprise executive.

Visa Inc. has invested an undisclosed amount of money in Square Inc., the start-up company that lets merchants accept card payments through a small square-shaped device that plugs into smartphones.

Existing payments-industry giants are at risk of becoming obsolete if they do not begin experimenting soon with new payments technologies and finding innovative partnerships to meet the changing marketplace demands, according to Dan Schulman, group president for enterprise growth at American Express Co.

SunTrust Banks Inc. and MasterCard Inc. April 27 launched an open-loop reloadable prepaid card that doubles as a student ID card.

Amazon.com Inc. has launched its Checkout by Amazon payments service in Germany, the company announced April 27.

The rise of prepaid debit cards is helping payments processor Total System Services Inc., also known as TSYS, expand as it works to grow its payments volume.

Diebold Inc. announced April 27 that its income dropped 90% to $2.5 million in the first quarter from a year earlier.

There are more indications that card data was obtained by fraudsters after the data breach at Sony Corp.’s PlayStation Network.

USA Technologies Inc., a payments-service provider to vending machine operators, is aiming to get more merchants connected to its services through a partnership with Verizon Wireless.

Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC has warned its video-game console users that their credit card information might have been compromised in a recent security breach that has affected the PlayStation 3’s online network as well as the company’s streaming music and video service.

Improving economic conditions and organic growth helped processor Total System Services Inc., or TSYS, on April 26 to report a 3.8% rise in first quarter revenue, to $429.4 million from $413.5 million during the same period last year. Net income was $49.4 million, down 4.6% from $51.8 million.

A sign that international travel regained some of the momentum lost during the recession, new data from Visa Inc. show that travelers going to and from the U.S. boosted their spending significantly last year.