Social and mobile gifting company eGifter, has hired Andrew Dodge as vice president of sales. (PBU V7, i9)

Paybefore announced the Paybefore Awards Europe 2013 Best-in-Category winners on April 18 in London at Prepaid Expo Europe. (PBU V7, i8)

The in-market mobile wallet or mobile application that (1) provides end users with value-added features and/or enhances payment capabilities or user decision-making or loyalty and (2) provides retailers with easy implementation and a strong value proposition. 

Best use of a business- or corporate-funded prepaid card to deliver incentives, rewards or rebates to consumers to promote their loyal behavior. (PBU V7, i7)

In this installment of our Paybefore Awards coverage, get to know each of the winning programs in the following categories: Best Third-Party Payroll Card Program; Best Corporate Payroll Card Program; Best Prepaid Incentive, Reward, Rebate or Loyalty Card Program
and Best Benefits Distribution Card Program. (PBU, V7, i7)

The proliferation of mobile wallets from diverse players is shaping up to be a battle to win consumer interest and market share in the growing m-payments arena. (PBU, V7, i6)

On March 4, Paybefore celebrated 72 programs in 23 categories, naming for the first time Best-in-Category honorees at the 7^th Annual Paybefore Awards Ceremony, which capped off the first day of Prepaid Expo USA in Orlando, Fla. (PBU V7, i5)

Payair Technologies, a Swedish mobile commerce company, recently announced that Mats Lönnqvist was elected to the company’s board. (PBU V6, i18)

National Gift Card Corp.—an Elgin, Ill.-based marketer and supplier of gift cards for use in loyalty, incentive and rewards programs—has hired Jodi Maggin as vice president of business development. (PBU V6, i18)

When innovation is part of your job description, you have to be open to possibilities. Growing up as a Japanese student attending American schools in a Tokyo suburb, Denis Okazaki learned a lot about different ways of doing things. (Paybefore Magazine, Fall 2012)

GiftCards.com, a subsidiary of Pittsburgh-based Wolfe LLC, has appointed Carlos Tribino chief marketing officer. (PBU V6, i17)

Experts discuss the merits of a holistic approach to mobile commerce, and debate the future of NFC and the motivation behind MCX. (PBU V6, i17)

With its acquisition of Truaxis, MasterCard plans to leverage advanced analytics to enable improved rewards and offers for consumers, stronger customer loyalty for financial institutions and increased sales for merchants. (PBU V6, i15)

SUBWAY, a Milford, Conn.-based restaurant chain, recently named Carman Wenkoff chief information officer. (PBU V6, i14)

Busy and loving it, Diana Fletcher has channeled the discipline and determination she learned as a professional athlete into a platform that delivers immediate rewards to busy consumers. (PBU V6, i13)

Ukash, a London-based provider of prepaid vouchers for online shopping, has announced two senior management appointments. (PBU V6, i13)

Issuers and program managers must take a serious look at the upfront investments they’ve historically made when launching card programs. (PBU V6, i12)

Firethorn Mobile and Burger King follow in the footsteps of a java giant with their mobile payments pilot. (PBU V6, i11)

National Gift Card Corp. (NGC)—an Elgin, Ill.-based marketer and supplier of gift cards for use in loyalty, incentive and rewards programs—has appointed two directors to its executive team. (PBU V6, i10)

CorFire, the mobile commerce business of SK C&C USA and provider of mobile technology solutions, has promoted Jon Squire to chief marketing officer, and added Tom Zalewski, vice president of sales, to the management team. (PBU V6, i10)

The company that stood out from the crowd in 2011 to make a positive, game-changing difference in the prepaid environment in a geographic region or globally. (PBU V6, i9)

Best prepaid program operated outside the United States. (PBU V6, i9)

Most effective marketing, including media advertising, in-store promotion, social media, direct and/or Web marketing to generate prepaid awareness, education or sales. Includes network branded, closed-loop and RAN products or programs. (PBU V8, i6)

Gift Card Impressions, a Kansas City, Mo.-based gift card packaging and merchandising solutions provider, recently announced it has formed its board of directors. (PBU V6, i8)

Best use of a business- or corporate-funded prepaid card to deliver incentives, rewards or rebates or to promote loyalty. Includes reloadable and nonreloadable network branded, closed-loop and RAN programs. (PBU V6, i6)

In this installment of our awards coverage, get to know each of the three winning programs in the following categories: Best Gift Card Program; Best GPR Card Program; Best Government-Funded Prepaid Program; Best Prepaid Incentive, Reward, Rebate or Loyalty Program and Best Employee Benefit/Transit Prepaid Program. (PBU V6, i6)

As part of CashStar Inc.’s expansion of operations and services to the U.K., the Portland, Maine-based e-gifting technology provider recently hired Arun Glendinning to serve as director of business development for the region. (PBU V6, i6)

To cap off the first day of Prepaid Expo USA in Las Vegas last week, Paybefore honored its 2012 Paybefore Awards Winners and revealed for the first time the Best-in-Category winners as well as Industry Achievement winners. (PBU v6, i5)

Ohana Companies, a Wilmington, Del.-based provider of rebate programs leveraging network branded prepaid cards, has hired Matthew Van Meter as senior vice president. (PBU V6, i3)

Relying on its experience bringing the Prime card to market, IDT Finance now is helping clients, including some big U.S. firms, launch prepaid programs in Europe. (PBU V6, i2)

Mapping a sales strategy in every region where Citi Prepaid offers products places Wall squarely in various global markets on any given day.

Giftango Corp., a Portland, Ore.-based provider of virtual gift cards, announced the appointment of Jereme Marshall as director of strategic accounts. (PBU V6, i1)

Ohana Companies, a Wilmington, Del.-based provider of rebate programs leveraging network branded prepaid cards, recently announced that Michael Avon has joined the company as director of client delivery. (PBU V5, i18)

A soft economy brings forth a slew of merchants looking for incentive programs to help get customers into their stores and onto their Websites. So say several industry experts who attended the Motivation Show, held Oct. 3-5 in Chicago. (PBU V5, i16)

Durbin fails to address the differences between various prepaid card segments and debit, creating additional, costly requirements that could impair industry growth and reduce prepaid card value to consumers. (PBU v5, i14)

The UK Gift Card & Voucher Association recently announced cabinet roles for members of its executive committee. (PBU V5, i13)

The Fed’s final rule restrictions on the GPR card exemption revives a definition of prepaid that didn’t work in the ’90s and doesn’t work now. (PBU V5, i12)

Ohana Companies, a Wilmington, Del.-based provider of rebate programs leveraging network branded prepaid cards, recently announced that Eric Rubino has joined the company as president and chief operating officer. (PBU V5, i8)

Mocapay, a Denver-based mobile gift card technology provider and recent Paybefore Award winner, has named Doug Dwyre president. (PBU V5, i7)

AT&T settlement serve as reminder that clear and conspicuous disclosures are important for all parties involved in rebate card programs. (PBU V5, i6)

Young America Corp., a Young America, Minn.-based marketing, loyalty and incentive firm, recently announced that Mark Lockwood has joined the company as senior vice president of payment services. (PBU V5, i6)

Best use of a business- or corporate-funded prepaid card to deliver incentives, rewards or rebates or to promote loyalty. Includes reloadable and non-reloadable network branded, closed loop and RAN programs. (PBU, V5, i5)

Best use of a business- or corporate-funded prepaid card to deliver benefits/funds to consumers or employees. Includes reloadable and non-reloadable network branded, closed-loop and RAN programs. (PBU V5, i5)

2011 Paybefore Awards Best Prepaid Program Direct Marketing April 2011 Send to a Friend | Request Reprint | Printable View |  Best use of direct to consumer marketing (e.g., direct mail email or point of purchase) to generate prepaid product awareness and sales. Includes network

Moggle Inc., a Philadelphia-based technology provider, recently announced that Debbie Grant has joined the company as director of financial services. (PBU V5, i5)

J.P. Morgan Treasury Services (TS), a provider of cash management, trade, liquidity, commercial card and escrow services, recently announced country-level appointments across Asia-Pacific. (PBU V5, i5)

GiftCertificates.com, an Omaha, Neb.-based e-commerce provider of reward solutions and gift products for the corporate and consumer markets, announced the appointment of Ian O’Brien as CEO. (PBU V5, i5)

An inside look at some of this year's Paybefore Awards winners. (PBU V5,i4)

PayPal Inc., a San Jose, Calif.-based online payments processor owned by eBay Inc., recently announced it has hired Don Kingsborough as its vice president for retail and prepaid products to assist in bringing PayPal offline and into traditional retail stores, according to the company.

Law firm Morrison & Foerster LLP recently announced that Ezra Levine has joined the firm's financial services group as senior of counsel in its Washington, D.C., office.

Javelin Strategy & Research, a Pleasanton, Calif.-based consultancy, announced the addition of Phil Blank as the senior analyst to the security, risk and fraud team.

Companies are vying for leadership positions in the competitive market for loyalty and couponing at the point of sale. (PBU V5, i3)

Technology and the ways consumers interact with it are changing the gift card and loyalty markets. (PBU V5, i3)

MasterCard Worldwide announced that Mung-Ki Woo joined the company as group executive, mobile. (PBU: v5, i2)

The prepaid industry continues to gain momentum as an essential component of incentive programs in Canada. (PBU V5, i2)

Jen Spiller has been hired by prepaid industry news and information resource Paybefore as its media and marketing associate. (PBU: v5, i1)

Ed Labry has been appointed president, First Data–North America. (PBU: v5, i1)

Isis to leverage parents’ scale, Discover Network to bring cell phone payments to the point of sale. (PBU V4, i19)

“Platform-builder” continues to attract investors and clients. (PBU v4, i17)

New CEO speaks on prepaid evolution and virtues of vertical integration. (PBU V4, i15)

Paybefore spoke with Tim Wall, director and group head of global sales for Citi Prepaid Services, about expanding into South Africa and what the company has learned in its quest to bring prepaid to every corner of the globe. (PBU V4, i13)

Turning payments from a cost center into a revenue generator—that’s the goal of Wave Crest Holdings Limited, a global electronic payments provider, which earlier this month raised $8.5 million in Series B funding. (PBU V4, i12)

The business that has operated since 1997 as American Express Incentive Services, LLC (AEIS) has a new name. (PBU V4, i8)

National Gift Card Corp., an incentive gift card distributor based in Crystal Lake, Ill., recently hired Jason Abrahams to serve as marketing director for the company. (PBU: v4, i7)

Concurrent with the launch of a global R&D unit called MasterCard Labs, MasterCard Worldwide announced Garry Lyons has been appointed group executive, research and development to oversee the new venture. (PBU: v4, i7)

Best use of a corporate-funded prepaid card specifically in a business-to-consumer application. (PBU V4, i6)

Prepaid card and mobile technology provider edō Interactive announced the appointment of Stephen Collins as chief strategy officer and chief financial officer. (PBU: v4, i6)

On March 23, 2010, the Fed issued its long-awaited final rules amending Regulation E in connection with Title IV of the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act. (PBU V4, i5)

Incentium LLC, the prepaid card provider formerly known as VIPGift, announced that Rich Phillips has been named president, CEO and a member of the company’s board of directors. (PBU: v4 i5)

Industry leaders worldwide responded to Paybefore’s request to tell us how prepaid products fared in 2009. (PBU: V3, i20)

People on the Move: Terry D. Peterson, Deluxe November 2009 Deluxe Corporation recently announced that Terry D. Peterson has been promoted to chief financial officer. Peterson joined the Shoreview, Minn.-based company that provides financial institutions with loyalty and retention programs and network brand

Serendipity played a role in Jason Tiede’s prepaid career. A random Thanksgiving dinner conversation, a chance phone call and convenient geography led to a job at Ecount—now Citi Prepaid Services—during Tiede’s senior year of college. (PBU: V3, i17)

People on the Move: John Partridge, Visa October 2009 Visa Inc. announced that John Partridge has been named president of the company. Partridge, who was formerly Visa’s chief operating officer, will continue to report to Joseph W. Saunders, chairman and CEO of Visa Inc., and will oversee all client, m

Through each phase of his life, Brooks Smith has taken away important lessons. (PBU: V3, i16)

Q&A with Ralph Calvano, SVP and GM, Prepaid Solutions, FIS Plans for Prepaid after Metavante Acquisition October 2009 Send to a Friend | Request Reprint | Printable View | Comments By Loraine DeBonis, Executive Editor On Oct. 1, two of the largest paymen

Sara Sampson was named senior vice president of marketing and business development by Incentium, the Chattanooga, Tenn.-based loyalty program provider formerly known as VIPGift. (PBU v3 i16)

Mercator Advisory Group’s annual market survey benchmarks the ongoing growth and development of open- and closed-loop prepaid products in the United States, measured by dollars loaded in 33 prepaid segments. (PBU: V3, i15)

The closed-loop prepaid card market experienced tepid growth in 2008, and indicators suggest more of the same when 2009 figures are compiled, according to a report from Mercator Advisory Group. (PBU: V3, i15)

Customized loyalty programs and those using network branded prepaid cards are helping businesses do just that by increasing consumer choice and connecting to the consumer more often and in more memorable ways. (PBU: V3, i13)

While the Loyalty Expo in Hollywood, Fla., explored many facets of the loyalty and reward industry, a theme that emerged in sessions during the three-day event was the delivery of rewards and promotional offers via mobile devices. (PBU: V3, i9)

The network discusses a prepaid strategy that’s more stealth than splash. (PBU: V3, i9)

To help industry members evaluate the potential impacts of the CARD Act, we offer the following summary of the material provisions of its Title IV that affect or have the potential to affect the prepaid card industry, particularly organizations involved in the network branded gift card segment. (PBU: V3, i9)

Just before his stated deadline of Memorial Day, President Obama signed into law the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (U.S. H 627), also known as CARD, following a rigorous grassroots effort to educate Capitol Hill on the bill’s implications for network branded prepaid cards. (PBU: V3, i8)

A company named Young America does not evoke images of a 40-year-old company serving major national retailers in the conservative world of rebates, incentives and promotions. (PBU: V3, i8)

The best use of a business- or corporate-funded prepaid card in a B2B application. (PBU: V3, i5)

The best use of a business- or corporate-funded prepaid card in a B2C application. (PBU: V3, i5)

Execs positive as prepaid moves more mainstream. (PBU: V3, i5)

With a newly elected president in Washington, D.C., and the nation’s financial services industry in flux, prepaid card providers are relying more than ever on in-house legal stewardship. (PBU: V3, i4)

I believe our industry is at a crossroad. And, that’s the issue I’d like to address. (PBU V3 i3)

One of the more evergreen discussions in the incentive business is the “cash versus non-cash” debate. (PBU: V3, i3)

For his entrepreneurial drive, Matt Gillin can thank his parents and grandparents, who lived the American dream of owning their own businesses.

Nobody is expecting consumers to be pulling out their credit cards to fund their gift shopping, as had become the norm in previous years.

Although Travelex introduced its first prepaid travel card in Australia in 1994 and has done quite well—for every $1 spent on its traveler’s checks today, $25 goes onto prepaid cards—the overall prepaid market in Australia still is described by many as in its infancy.

As network branded prepaid cards have become increasingly popular as gifts, incentives, rebates and more, a common question from consumers is: How do I use the full balance on my card?

The closed-loop prepaid card market is still growing overall, but growth in certain segments has eroded with some of the slack being taken up by network branded prepaid cards, according to the 5^th Annual Prepaid closed-Loop Market Assessment recently released by Mercator Advisory Group.

Paybefore sat down with CEO Matt Gillin and Director, Global Product Head Drew Kese to find out more about the decision to change the company’s name, its progress in international markets, where they see the growth for prepaid and how the industry has changed since Ecount was founded in 1997.

Although experts gathered at the ATM, Debit & Prepaid Forum in Chandler, Ariz., earlier this month did not agree on the size of the prepaid market (estimates vary by the tens of billions), a few themes emerged from the sessions about what is vital for prepaid growth and profitability—execution, increased consumer awareness, innovation and improved cardholder experience.

In Viewpoints, prepaid and stored value professionals share their thoughts and perspectives on the industry. These are not necessarily the viewpoints of Paybefore.

The past few years have seen a shift from gift cards as replacements for paper gift certificates of old to gift cards becoming as ubiquitous as automobiles—even more if you compare the actual numbers.

According to Chris Quinlan, founder and CEO of Ohana Companies, consumers are frustrated with the traditional model of product rebates.

In Viewpoints, prepaid and stored value professionals share their thoughts and perspectives on the industry. These are not necessarily the viewpoints of Paybefore.

The VA in the U.K. is the industry trade association representing gift vouchers and gift cards.

Corporate Incentives: Three Ways to Pay Incentive Providers Discuss the Pros and Cons of Closed-Loop, Filtered-Spend and Open Network Branded Prepaid Cards January 2008 Send to a Friend |   Printable View By Paybefore Staff As prepaid cards become increasingly p

Prepaid card companies often describe themselves as one-stop shops. In other words, if you want a prepaid card program, they handle everything from getting an issuing bank and fulfilling orders to fielding customer-service calls and processing transactions.

The use of network branded prepaid cards to deliver rebates has grown in recent years (see related article Rebate Cards Gain Traction, February 2007).  To do so, prepaid cards have had to compete effectively with traditional check-based payments from a number of perspectives, not least of all, economics.

As prepaid has emerged as an important and distinct segment of payments in recent years, the interest in the industry from the investment community—including private equity firms, venture capital funds, and strategic investors–has increased substantially.  These organizations are actively assessing the marketplace–conducting research and meeting with prospective companies–to determine where and how to deploy their capital.  Prepaid Media interviewed Pequot Ventures, and asked them to share some basics on their view of the industry and strategy for investment in the prepaid card market.

Kmart Settles with FTC on Gift Card Disclosure Charges March 2007 By Prepaid Media If there was any doubt that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is serious about exercising its consumer protection authority in the area of prepaid cards, that doubt was put to rest when the proposed settlement with Kmart

The scope of the network branded prepaid card category challenges the industry to effectively communicate the features and benefits of each card type to inform and incent consumer behavior.

A preliminary search of the public files of the United States Patent and Trademark Office reveals hundreds of patents covering a wide array of prepaid and gift card systems, many of which have claims so broad they potentially reach numerous categories of cards.  Many additional applications are now pending.  With so many patents, it should come as no surprise that prepaid and gift card patent litigation has been on the rise.

Network branded prepaid cards run on the rails of existing payment networks as well as other historically available infrastructure. The past ten years have, however, seen a constant improvement in underlying products and services to meet the specific needs of prepaid cards – needs that are, in many ways, strikingly different from those of traditional debit and credit products.

For those just tuning in, Track data refers to the information encoded on the ubiquitous magnetic stripes found on the back of credit, debit, prepaid and other payment cards.  There are two types of Track data that are pertinent to the payment card industry, creatively dubbed “Track 1” and “Track 2.”

As the rate of adoption of prepaid cards has accelerated markedly in recent years, banks have been challenged to find their footing in this critical segment of card-based payments.

Prepaid cards have been part of the payment card landscape in the U.K. for some time, and they have recently started to gain momentum.  With the lead up to this current inflection point in the market, processors – as the primary technology enablers of prepaid – have experienced and expect to continue to experience changes in sustainable and competitive pricing of the various services they offer.

Executives from three leading investment banking firms analyzed the current state of and potential for future mergers and acquisitions in the prepaid card industry. 

During the past year, delivering consumer rebates on network branded prepaid cards has begun to make significant inroads in the rebate fulfillment business.