“Retailers know that if they don’t pass along the savings the store across the street will,” says NRF president. With the first anniversary of debit card swipe fee reform approaching next week, U.S. retailers and their customers are benefiting from savings of up to $18 million a day that previously went to card companies and…
Merchants Urge Congress To Reject Visa, MasterCard Claims
Merchant organizations assert the proposed settlement “is one-sided and preserves the very anti-competitive actions that were the genesis of the lawsuits.” In a letter sent to House and Senate leaders on Sept. 20, a group of associations representing merchants of all sizes across all segments of the merchant community highlighted the reasons behind the growing…
European Consumers See Contactless as Step to Mobile Payments
2012 set to be the tipping point for mainstream contactless adoption in Europe. Visa Europe has launched its second quarterly Contactless Barometer study results. The Barometer canvassed perceptions of contactless technologies across the UK, Poland and Turkey, based on surveys of 1,700 banked individuals and in-depth panel sessions with around 500 contactless card owners per…
Durbin Hits, Fight Escalates
Retailers may have won the right to debit fee caps for now, but banks are raising fees and pointing the finger at merchants, while some lawmakers look to repeal the interchange caps. By Erin Rigik, Associate Editor. The long awaited Durbin Amendment went into effect on Oct. 1, capping interchange fees well above the 7-12…
Citibank Survey Shows Consumer Psychology Changing
A survey conducted by Hart Research Associates found 41% of customers are worried about the amount they pay for necessities like food and gasoline, up 18 points from September 2010. A new nationwide survey issued on Aug. 31, by Citibank finds a decline in consumers’ expectations for the economy, even though their assessment of current…
Giant Eagle Welcomes Huntington
Huntington Bank has opened the first of its Giant Eagle in-store branches, part of an exclusive, 15-year agreement announced in September 2010 to install seven-day-a-week, full-service branches in at least 103 Giant Eagle supermarkets. “This is a true partnership between two companies that share a strong, long-held commitment to customer service, convenience, and the communities…