The Prepaid Press - October 15, 2008 - (Page 20)

PAYMENTS October 15 · 2008 - 20 Bancorp and Obopay Introduce Payment Card Prepaid Card Gives Mobile Consumers Access to Funds WILMINGTON, DE and REDWOOD CITY, CA (September 10, 2008) The Bancorp Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQA:TBBK), and a provider of private label banking services to over 300 partners nationwide, has been selected by Obopay, a provider for payments via mobile phones, to issue prepaid payment cards linked to Obopay mobile payment accounts. The new cards are available now and are accepted anywhere MasterCard debit cards are accepted and at more than one million ATM locations worldwide. The cards are linked to Obopay mobile money accounts, which users can access through any mobile phone using Obopay’s downloadable mobile application, text messaging, or mobile Web. “Obopay is committed to delivering the flexible and convenient mobile payment services that fit mobile consumers’ lifestyles,” said Obopay President, U.S.-based Operations, Gregory Holmes. “Through our partnership with The Bancorp Bank, customers can now easily access funds wherever they are.” With the Obopay Prepaid MasterCard consumers use the best of mobile and online and offline technology to send money, purchase goods and services, or conduct a myriad of other personal finance tasks. The Obopay Prepaid MasterCard is available to all Obopay customers. “The Bancorp is focused on our commitment to change the way America pays, and we are excited about this partnership with Obopay. Our goal is to simplify payments for consumers and Obopay’s mobile product offerings give cardholders the accessibility they need to manage funds anywhere and at anytime of day,” said Jeremy Kuiper, Managing Director, The Bancorp Payment Solutions Group. Obopay CEO Carol Realini commented that, “Obopay is built for the mobile lifestyle embraced by America’s more than 265 million mobile consumers. The Obopay Prepaid MasterCard, from The Bancorp Bank, gives our customers the flexibility to use their mobile accounts and access cash when and where they need to.” Source: The Bancorp Bank (www.thebancorp.com) Obopay (www.obopay.com) Donor Dialogue Partners with Springbok Services Companies to Reward Blood Donors with Prepaid Cards AUBRUN HILLS, MI (September 16, 2008) Donor Dialogue has announced an exclusive partnership with Springbok Services that will provide reward opportunities for blood donors and branding strategies for blood centers. Through this partnership, donors will receive branded blood center prepaid cards as part of Donor Dialogue’s industry-leading Donor Rewards Program. The prepaid MasterCard cards will be custom designed per blood center, manufactured and managed by Springbok, one of the only prepaid card providers that offers complete lifecycle management of prepaid card programs. “Donor Dialogue is excited to launch such an innovative and industry-transcending rewards tool,” noted Alejandro Vargas, CEO of Donor Dialogue. “Through our exclusive partnership with Springbok, donors receive a greatly improved mechanism to utilize their rewards points and blood centers earn a unique, powerful branding opportunity. It is a watershed concept for our industry and the type of partnership where everyone wins.” For donors, the program rewards donation loyalty and provides a prepaid card that can be used anywhere MasterCard debit cards are accepted. Donors will no longer be restricted to limited gifts through rewards catalogues and point systems. For blood centers, the partnership eliminates the cumbersome logistics of managing rewards gifts and closed-loop gift cards. It also offers a powerful branding opportunity that was not previously available to blood centers. Additionally, these prepaid cards are personalized to the individual donor and therefore non transferable and non redeemable for cash. Both elements are of great importance when issuing rewards to blood donors. “Prepaid cards are a proven conduit to motivate positive behavior and we can think of no better cause than rewarding donors for giving blood,” said Michael Ross, senior vice president of sales, Springbok Services. “This is an incredibly powerful and pioneering program that is forging inroads for a new level of loyalty programs among non-profit organizations. Source: Donor Dialogue (www.donordialogue.com) Springbok Services, Inc. (www.springbokservices.com) Verities, Inc. Partners with BBB and i2c Inc. Companies to Launch the TrustCard Prepaid MasterCard Card CLARKSVILLE, TN (September 10, 2008) Verities, Inc., a provider of prepaid solutions, has partnered with i2c Inc., a provider of prepaid card processing and program support services to offer the TrustCard prepaid MasterCard payroll card, available exclusively to Better Business Bureau accredited businesses. The TrustCard prepaid MasterCard provides no upfront fees for BBB accredited businesses and low fees for their employees. The TrustCard prepaid MasterCard also offers free companion cards with free money sharing and can be utilized as a phone card. The TrustCard prepaid MasterCard, according to Verities, will reduce costs and save BBB accredited businesses thousands of payroll dollars. Employees of BBB accredited business will benefit by no longer having to line up at check cashing centers and paying hefty fees to cash their payroll check. Verities also offers a corporate incentive card that can be used to reward employees and loyal customers. Edward Rufo, CEO of Verities, Inc. comments, “Partnering with a processor of the caliber of i2c enables us to deliver powerful programs to satisfy a wide variety of needs. We selected i2c because it offers unique services and capabilities that support our strong commitment to deliver ethical solutions based on trust. i2c has worked with us to get our TrustCard to market quickly and we are confident that they will provide superior ongoing support to manage our card programs and achieve our goals.” Kathleen Calligan, President CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Middle Tennessee said, “The BBB is excited to be able to offer the TrustCard to meet the needs of Better Business Bureau accredited businesses. We worked with Verities and i2c to develop an innovative product that reflects our desire to provide products and services to our businesses that deliver benefits in terms of cost savings and convenience and meet our high standards of trust.” Amir Wain, CEO of i2c Inc. adds, “i2c is proud to have been a part of the development and launch of the TrustCard payroll card and corporate incentive prepaid card solutions. As a BBB accredited business, we understand the benefits that the card will bring to employers and we subscribe wholeheartedly to BBB’s belief of the importance of trust in today’s business environment. We are also looking forward to continuing to participate in a mutually beneficial partnership with Verities and BBB.” Source: Verities, Inc. (www.veritiescard.com) BBB (www.gobbb.org); i2c (www.i2cinc.com) Mercator Offers New Merchant Report Adding to the Payments Value Chain BOSTON, MA (September 18, 2008) According to Mercator Advisory Group’s latest report, Merchant Funded Discount Networks (MFDN) provide a cost-efficient consumer loyalty, incentive, or promotional marketing initiative that can use a prepaid card or other payment card as the instrument for targeting customers and delivering offers and incentives. Merchant partners in the discount network enjoy the benefit of new customers garnered from the card portfolio, as well as the much-desired lift in sales that targeted promotions can provide. The card holder enjoys cost savings or support in an aspirational purchase, a new and potentially beneficial merchant relationship, or reinforcement of an existing affinity, and an enhanced customer experience. The prepaid (or other card) program benefits by increased revenues from several angles: 1) a more attractive value proposition for the cardholder’s usage of the card, and thus an increased “sticky factor,” 2) an increase in dollar volume produced by increased usage, and therefore more interchange and transaction fee revenues, as well as, 3) in some cases, the difference between the merchant discount payment and the discount offered to the cardholder. In most cases, the Merchant Funded Discount Network manager is an entity separate from the prepaid Program Manager, however Mercator Advisory Group is aware of program managers seeking to wring more profitability out of their prepaid programs that have been designing and implementing their own MFDNs. In this report, we examine the implications associated with bringing this traditionally outsourced function in-house. The popularity of Merchant Funded Discounts and Rewards among more traditional debit and credit card issuers and other consumer “aggregators” is also growing. Not only are employers, banks, credit and debit card issuers, and even the card networks themselves using Merchant Funded Discounts (MFDs) to fund cardholder rewards or employee incentives, strengthen merchant relationships, and optimize their new account marketing efforts, but prepaid issuers and program managers are implementing or partnering with MFDNs to boost card usage and profitability. Report Highlights: • Merchant Funded Discount Networks are a relatively new marketing catalyst in the payments space, which is seeking new vehicles for providing a more robust proposition to all value chain participants. Merchant funded rewards are a “must have check-box” on most issuers’ card programs. • Mercator has identified 6 distinct go-to-market models for merchant funded discounts that can be used by participants in the payments space. These segments use distribution channels that can either be direct or indirect to the consumer. • Existing MFD network managers are increasingly seen as potential acquisition targets as card issuers of all kinds confront the “build, partner, or buy” dilemma. Regardless of the outcome of that argument, more http://www.thebancorp.com http://www.donordialogue.com http://www.obopay.com http://www.springbokservices.com http://www.veritiescard.com http://www.gobbb.org http://www.i2cinc.com http://www.thebancorppsg.com http://www.mercatoradvisorygroup.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Prepaid Press - October 15, 2008

The Prepaid Press - October 15, 2008 Oblio Wins Judgment Mobile Remittance Providers Look to Latin America Contents The Retske Report: The Game Changer Regulatory Rundown: New Rules and Requirements Likely for 2009 5 Minutes With Saul Bienenfeld, President of Pop2Call Prepaid Wireless Roundup MetroPCS Sues Virgin Mobile Wireless in Brief Leap’s Cricket Service Introduces Cricket PAYGo Virgin Mobile USA to Launch the Shuttle New Study Shows Mobile Phones Merging Roles TracFone Launches SafeLink Wireless in FL IVI and Titan Sign Agreement with YA Global Boost Mobile Launches New Phone The State of Prepaid Technology: Will the Coming Market Bring You Problems or Opportunities? Calling Cards in Brief The Legal Line Tata Awarded Cisco Powered Status IDT Fails to Meet NYSE Listing Standards BillSoft Offers New Taxation Service Dialogic to Acquire NMS Platforms Business STi Acquires Sprint’s Calling Card Business TelcoBridges Introduces ToolPack System Manager Hypercom Increases Multilane Team Mobile Banking: CGAP Spurs Market Prepaid Resources Introduces PORTABLES Bancorp and Obopay Introduce Payment Card Verities, Inc. Partners with BBB and i2c Inc. The Bancorp Bank Partners with LeagueSafe Donor Dialogue Partners with Springbok Services Mercator Offers New Merchant Report Travelex Launches Budget Calculator MPOWER Companies Join Clinton Global Initiative Payments in Brief Promotions Evolve into Must-Have Marketing Strategy for Prepaid Sector Access Launches Cash-Back Rewards VendTek Partners with United Bank Card Flash Foods, Tedeschi Partner with Pinnacle Prepaid 101: Basics of PINs Gasoline Cards to Benefit Armed Forces, Veterans i2c Inc. Signs Agreement with Diestel iPayStation Partners with Pronto Envios Sodexo Releases Prepaid Incentive Card Heartland Leverages VeriFone Managed Services Retail Focus in Brief Our Advertisers Contact Us

The Prepaid Press - October 15, 2008

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