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Special: Mobile Commerce Providers Guide, page 12 

The Official Publication of the Electronic Transactions Association | October 2012 

Transaction 

trends 

Get an inside look at 

potential business 

partners in our second 

annual Mobile 

Commerce 

Providers Guide 

ALSO INSIDE: 

Payments Go Social 

Simplifying the MSP 

Value Proposition 

Who’s 

Who 

in mobile 

commerce

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The Official Publication of the Electronic Transactions Association Vol. 17 | No. 10 

Transaction 

trends 

cover story 

12 Special: Who’s Who 

in Mobile Commerce 

By Bryan Ochalla 

Transaction Trends’ second annual Mobile 

Commerce Providers Guide features 

players in the $172-billion mobile 

payments industry. Identify the key 

participants in this space, and find out 

who provides opportunities for business 

partnerships. 

FEATURES 

28 Social Payments: “Like” 

By Julie Ritzer Ross 

New payment options that leverage 

social networks are emerging, paving 

the way for the convergence of 

mobile payments and mobile loyalty. 

Merchants are refining their strategies 

to leverage consumer choice and 

customization options. 

12 

32 SPECIAL SERIES 

Startup Stories: 

A New Lease on Life 

By John Manasso 

After restructuring to encourage 

involvement among all of its members, 

COCARD has increased revenues 

while attracting new ISOs to join the 

cooperative. 

6 

departmentS 

4 ETA Gateway 

Insights from ETA’s CEO, Jason 

Oxman 

6 Industry News 

Trends, strategies, and news in 

the payments business and ETA 

member community 

8 Future of the Business 

MSPs that simplify their 

processes and embrace a vertical 

integration approach will appeal 

to their merchant customers 

35 Ad Index 

36 Industry Insider 

CHARGE Anywhere has expanded 

services to include a host of 

solutions that solve merchant 

problems 

Transaction trends | October 2012 3

ETA Gateway 

Making Our Mark on the Future of Payments 

Greetings from ETA! In my three 

months on the job, I’ve had a 

chance to meet with dozens of ETA 

member companies as I travelled to Salt 

Lake City, Omaha, and Atlanta to meet 

our members and hear your thoughts 

on our industry. One consistent theme: 

You want to learn more about ETA 

activities, events, and happenings. And 

so one important change in Transaction 

Trends that you’ll notice this month is 

we’re talking more about what your trade 

association—ETA—is doing to help grow 

your business. As always, I am eager to 

hear from our members—you, the reader 

—to learn what ETA can and should be 

doing to grow our industry. My door, or 

email, is always open. 

I have joined ETA at a unique and 

exciting moment in our history. What 

we are witnessing is nothing less than a 

fundamental transformation of the electronic 

transactions industry. I’m speaking 

about the brave new world of mobile 

payments, which offers huge growth opportunities 

for all ETA members. Indeed, 

the rate of growth has been so fast that, 

as an industry, it’s all we can do to just 

keep up. But explosive growth also presents 

difficult challenges and many, many 

unanswered questions. As the public face 

of the industry, ETA is responsible to help 

solve these challenges and answer these 

questions for our members, for merchants, 

for consumers, and for government regulators. 

Whatever form or direction mobile 

payments takes in the coming years, it 

must never fail to meet the standards 

consumers and merchants have come 

to expect for all electronic transactions: 

secure, reliable, and efficient. 

This is why one of my first acts as ETA’s 

new CEO was to work with member 

companies to form the Mobile Payments 

Committee. With more than 45 ETA 

member companies participating, including 

new technology member companies 

like Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and 

Google, ETA’s Mobile Payments Committee 

is charged with developing industrywide 

solutions to the complex policy 

and business concerns surrounding the 

emergence of mobile payments in the U.S. 

and globally. ETA’s Mobile Payments Committee 

first met at the end of August and 

our inaugural meeting was a huge success. 

We committed ourselves to building a 

mobile payments infrastructure that can 

facilitate growth within the industry while 

also protecting consumers and merchants. 

Federal regulators are taking a keener 

interest in the electronic payments infrastructure 

than they ever have before. We 

should welcome Washington’s interest 

in our industry, but we also should strive 

to anticipate their concerns and, where 

possible, solve them ourselves. And so, the 

Committee agreed to formulate educational 

materials that will help officials 

understand the unique policy issues confronting 

the industry. (Find more updates 

on the Committee and other association 

news on page 7.) 

Finally, I want to thank all ETA members 

for welcoming me with such warmth and 

cooperation. I’m humbled by the opportunity 

that has been given to me. I look 

forward to working with all ETA members 

as we embark on such a transformative 

period in our industry. 

Regards, 

Jason Oxman 

Jason Oxman is the CEO of ETA. 

Editorial Policy: 

The Electronic Transactions Association, 

founded in 1990, is a not-for-profit 

organization representing entities who 

provide transaction services between 

merchants and settlement banks and others involved in the 

electronic transactions industry. Our purpose is to provide leadership 

in the industry through education, advocacy, and the exchange of 

information. 

The magazine acts as a moderator without approving, 

disapproving, or guaranteeing the validity or accuracy of any 

data, claim, or opinion appearing under a byline or obtained or 

quoted from an acknowledged source. The opinions expressed 

do not necessarily reflect the official view of the Electronic 

Transactions Association. Also, appearance of advertisements 

and new product or service information does not constitute an 

endorsement of products or services featured by the Association. 

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative 

information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is provided 

and disseminated with the understanding that the publisher is not 

engaged in rendering legal or other professional services. If legal 

advice and other expert assistance are required, the services of a 

competent professional should be sought. 

Transaction Trends (ISSN 1939-1595) is the official 

publication, published monthly, of the Electronic Transactions 

Association, 1101 16th St. N.W., Suite 402, Washington, DC 

20036; 800/695-5509 or 202/828-2635; 202/828-2639 fax. 

Postage paid at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and additional mailing 

offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the address 

noted above. 

Copyright © 2012 The Electronic Transactions Association. All 

Rights Reserved, including World Rights and Electronic Rights. 

No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission 

from the publisher, nor may any part of this publication be 

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or copied by mechanical 

photocopying, recording, or other means, now or hereafter 

invented, without permission of the publisher. 

Electronic Transactions Association 

1101 16th Street NW, Suite 402 

Washington, DC 20036 

202/828.2635 

www.electran.org 

ETA CEO Jason Oxman 

Deputy Director/COO Pamela Furneaux 

Director, Education and 

Professional Development Rori Ferensic 

Director, Government 

and Industry Relations Mary Weaver Bennett 

Director, Membership 

and Marketing Del Baker Robertson 

Transaction Trends 

Publishing office: 

Stratton Publishing & Marketing Inc. 

5285 Shawnee Road, Suite 510 

Alexandria, VA 22312 

703/914.9200 

Publisher Debra Stratton 

Associate Publisher & Editor 

Josephine Rossi 

Contributing Editor Angela Hickman Brady 

Editorial/Production Associate 

Christine Umbrell 

Art Director Janelle Welch 

Contributing Writers 

Lia Dangelico, John Manasso, 

Bryan Ochalla, Julie Ritzer Ross, and 

George Peabody 

Advertising Sales 

Steve Schwanz or Fox Associates 

(800/440.0232; adinfo.eta@foxrep.com) 

Fox Associates Offices 

Chicago 312/644.3888 

New York 212/725.2106 

Detroit 248/626.0511 

Phoenix 480/538.5021 

Los Angeles 805/522.0501 

Atlanta 800/440.0231 

4 October 2012 | Transaction trends

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Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. With the support of three of the four major 

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of forward-thinking merchants, we have the scale to drive widespread consumer adoption. 

So all that’s missing is you. Bring the Isis Mobile Wallet TM 

to your merchants, and bring more 

customers into their stores. 

Learn more at paywithisis.com or reach us by email at partners@paywithisis.com 

Isis, Isis Mobile Wallet, Pay Smarter, Isis Cash and the associated Isis logos are trademarks of JVL Ventures, LLC. © 2012 JVL Ventures, LLC.

INDuSTRY news 

Facebook Launches Carrier-Billed Mobile 

Payments 

Facebook is now accepting mobile payments 

via carrier billing in the United 

States, United Kingdom, and Germany. 

The service, provided by mobile web 

payments and analytics company Bango, 

will be expanded to other countries during 

the remainder of 2012. 

Facebook users now can purchase 

digital content without the use of premium 

SMS messages or credit cards. 

Bango claims its single-click system result 

is significantly higher rates of collection—77 

percent compared to roughly 

40 percent among conventional operator 

billings. 

Bango has become the payments 

platform for several app stores, including 

Blackberry App World, Opera Mobile 

Store, and operator-led connections to 

Google Play. It also has announced an 

agreement with Amazon and Master- 

Card’s PayPass mobile wallet. 

Major Retailers Partner to 

Develop Mobile Wallet 

A group of large merchants, including Walmart, 

Target, 7-Eleven, and Sunoco, has announced its 

partnership to develop a mobile-payments network 

to rival the offerings of Google and other 

companies. 

The companies are proceeding based on the 

premise that shoppers will eventually be as comfortable 

making payments with their mobile devices 

as they are now with credit and debit cards. 

At this time, mobile payment technology continues 

to surge, with some reports predicting transactions 

will total more than $600 billion by 2016. 

The group, called Merchant Customer Exchange, 

or MCX, is still in the early stages of planning, 

and is said to be ironing out financial details 

and a launch date, and pursuing a CEO. 

fast FACT 

Mobile payment transactions are 

predicted to reach $1.3 trillion 

by 2017—a fourfold 

increase—according to a recent 

report by Juniper Research. 

Visa to Launch Point-to-Point 

Encryption Service 

Visa has announced it will launch a new service called Visa Merchant Data Secure 

with Point-to-Point Encryption that will enable acquirers and merchants to better 

protect payment card data. 

According to a press release, the service addresses several key merchant and 

acquirer concerns about encryption: 

• minimal impact to payment processing systems 

• consistent, open encryption standard 

• multi-zone encryption. 

Available in early 2013, the service comes as a part of the company’s larger 

strategy to improve payment information security. 


News from the association 

AROUND THE HORN 

Afshin Yazdian has joined American 

Bancard LLC as president to continue the 

company’s expansion and growth and further 

development of its POS technology. 

Apriva has launched the Apriva Customer 

Education (ACE) portal, a self-help and customer 

support portal. CardWare has introduced 

POSitivity, its modular POS solution 

for main street merchants. CreditCall has 

launched its new mobile POS application, 

CardEase Mobile, now available worldwide. 

CSR announced the addition of an ACH 

payment option for data breach reporting 

and PCI compliance services. Meritus 

Payment Solutions has announced its 

integration with OrderLogix to expand its 

reach into direct response, e-commerce, 

and multichannel retail industries, and 

also has brought on Jon Lindhjem as vice 

president of business development and 

Jason VanWagoner as director of business 

development. Through a partnership with 

Vivo, PayPal has launched a new mobile 

payment that eliminates the need for Internet 

connection to complete payments. 

Payscape Advisors was recognized on 

the 2012 Inc. 500/5000 List for the fourth 

consecutive year. Payvia Inc. has launched 

its next-generation mobile payments platform 

and agreements with Sprint and 

T-Mobile USA. 

New Members 

ETA is pleased to welcome the following companies to its membership. To inquire 

about a membership with ETA, please contact Del Baker Robertson, director of 

membership and marketing, at dbaker@electran.org. 

BilltoMobile 

San Jose, CA 

www.billtomobile.com 

Buckley Sandler LLP 

www.buckleysandler.com 

Firethorn Mobile 

Atlanta, GA 

www.firethorn.com 

Google 

Mountain View, CA 

www.google.com 

Groupon 

Chicago, IL 

www.groupon.com 

MobiSquad (formerly 

Entrust Bankcard) 

Mesa, AZ 

www.mobisquad.com 

NewNet Communication 

Technologies 

Hawthorn Woods, IL 

www.newnet.com 

Payfone 

San Jose, CA 

http://payfone.com/ 

payvia 

Los Angeles, CA 

www.usepayvia.com 

Details: The E-Newsletter of 

the Electronic Transactions 

Association 

ETA has introduced Details, the association’s official 

membership e-newsletter. This monthly update 

will keep members informed on legislative developments, 

industry news, member additions, and 

upcoming events. For more information contact 

Del Baker Robertson, director of membership and 

marketing, at dbaker@electran.org. 

Placecast 

San Francisco, CA 

www.placecast.net 

Sprint Nextel 

Washington, DC 

www.sprint.com 

Tabbedout 

Austin, TX 

www.tabbedout.com 

ValidSoft 

London, UK 

www.validsoft.com 

Zumigo 

San Jose, CA 

www.zumigo.com 

CALENDAR : 

n 2012 Strategic 

Leadership Forum 

The Breakers 

Palm Beach, FL 

October 16-18, 2012 

www2.electran.org/slf12/ 

n 2012 Compliance Day 

Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel 

Irving, TX 

November 13-14, 2012 

Register online at 

www.electran.org. 

n Silicon Valley Day 

San Francisco, CA 

November 15, 2012 

For details, contact Rori Ferensic, 

202.828.2635 x205, or 

rferensic@electran.org. 


ISO Future Corner of the Business 

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify 

Rethinking the MSP value proposition with merchantfocused 

vertical integration 

By George Peabody 

This may come as a shock: For retailers and other merchants 

selling goods and services, the process of taking payments 

is ancillary to their main line of business; payment acceptance 

is the merchant services provider’s (MSP’s) business. 

For most merchants, in the best case, electronic payments are 

viewed as a cost of doing business. At worst, because of a nagging 

sense that the process costs too much, payment services 

are viewed as an ongoing source of irritation. For the MSP, the 

challenge of adding value to the process contributes to increased 

churn as retailers look for better pricing and better value. 

As Henry David Thoreau said, “Our life is frittered away by detail. 

Simplify, simplify, simplify!” Complexity has its costs. For the 

retailer, payment acceptance is one of those innumerable details 

that requires a long list of often complex tasks. POS systems, most 

of which are built on Windows-based PCs, require maintenance. 

Receipt printers demand consumables as well as maintenance. For 

restaurant and bar operators, dedicated touchscreen devices and 

the software to drive them add high functionality, but also complexity 

and cost. Dedicated POS terminals may be highly reliable 

devices, but when it comes to upgrades for new functionality or 

to meet new security standards, either a lengthy upgrade process 

or a complete replacement of the device—or both—is required. 

But there’s more. For retailers, the added complexity includes 

communications cabling and a reliable Internet connection. Check 

and cash acceptance also bring challenges. More sophisticated 

merchants who use loyalty cards or couponing solutions have to 

contract for those services separately, often with a third party that’s 

separate from the payment services provider. And don’t forget PCI 

with its technical solutions, noncompliance fees, and self-assessment 

questionnaires. 

“Simplify, simplify, simplify” is the new payment services mantra. 

The industry’s initial response to this problem has been solution 

aggregation. Value-added resellers (VARs) and systems providers, 

such as MICROS, Radiant, and scores of others, have added 

payment acceptance to their line of business solutions. Many VARs 

and independent software vendors (ISVs) have partnered with 

gateway providers to provide bundled solutions for their merchant 

customers. This model, often based on a local service and 

support component, is responsible for hundreds of thousands of 

retailer systems. 

Another model, enabled by technology and powered by larger 

players in the payments industry, is now coming forward. Companies 

like Square Register, Retail Cloud, I Love Velvet, and others 

simplify the process for the merchant and open opportunity for 

the vendor. 

Changing Economics 

New technologies—like mobile computing, broadband Internet, 

and Cloud-based software delivery—are changing the economics 

underlying both payment acceptance and retailer POS systems. 

Why do they matter 

• Tablets are cheaper than PCs (smartphones are, too). They are 

already touch-enabled. 

• Broadband Internet access allows Cloud-based software to 

operate. 

• Broadband wireless enables the “app store” method of software 

distribution. Both make installation of software upgrades and 

bug fixes almost invisible. Remote maintenance, when needed, 

also is facilitated. 

These factors have enabled firms such as Square to deliver allinclusive 

services that go well beyond simple payment acceptance. 

Square, via its Register software and aiming up-market from its 

original mobile micro merchant target, is providing the small merchant 

with a competent cash register, inventory, and POS system. 

Square provides the hardware and transaction services. For hardware, 

Square points the merchant to a PC Connection site for the 

receipt printer and cash drawer, at $279 and $101, respectively. 

GoPago, an even newer entrant, is taking the bundled approach 

a big step further with its LIVE service that bundles payment acceptance 

with an Android tablet, store automation software that 

includes payments and inventory, a physical cash drawer, receipt 

printer, and a broadband wireless connection from Verizon Wireless, 

all for 2.85 percent of the transaction, with no other monthly 

fees and no hardware costs. At approximately $900 in free hardware 

and $100 or more in annual broadband costs, it’s a good deal 

for the right merchant—not only on price but also on complexity 

(or, rather, simplicity). 


Meet Larry Jones. 

VP of Sales 

Larry understands what makes a successful ISO. 

Fast merchant boarding process 

Personal Relationship Management Team committed to your business 

Better pricing models to stay competitive in the industry 

Online Application and Agent Dashboard Reporting 

Superior products to compete in the marketplace 

Larry recognizes that every ISO is unique. 

Custom fit partnership to meet your business needs 

Multi-processing platforms 

ISO branding program 

Business funding options 

Larry knows the value of leadership. 

Partner with industry veterans 

Over 100+ years of industry experience 

shared among key MCPS leaders 

Larry knows that 

Merchants’ Choice is 

your only true 

ISO partner. 

Get to know Larry! 

800.478.9367 ext. 5 

ljones@mcpscorp.com

ISO Future Corner of the Business 

Controlling the Supply Chain 

In almost every industry, the business model has swung from 

horizontal to vertical integration. During the late 19th century and 

part of the 20th, steel manufacturers controlled iron ore mines, or 

transportation systems, as well as the steel-making process. Later, 

the pendulum swung to more horizontal integration, with steel 

makers buying ore from mining companies and contracting for 

other services. 

The same swing is occurring in information technology. Vertical 

integration is a growing force. Apple’s profitability is, among 

other things, a function of its willingness to manage and control 

its entire supply chain and, just like those steel makers, right down 

to the mine, sourcing aluminum for the iPhone’s case. Apple controls 

software distribution through the App Store, controls payments 

through iTunes, and writes the operating system software 

its hardware runs on. That’s vertical integration. 

Evolving beyond the VAR model—where an independent distributor 

assembles, sells, and services a handful of major components—vertical 

integration for retailer payments means going 

beyond just payments. These technology-driven attributes are not 

lost on those with a stake in the payments business. Chase Paymentech 

is backing GoPago with aggressive pricing that enables 

GoPago, to some extent, to offer its service, and included bundled 

hardware, at a flat transaction rate only marginally higher than 

that of Square. 

It wouldn’t be a big step for an acquiring processor to acquire a 

solution like GoPago. It would certainly be an increase in the vertical 

integration, and consolidation, of the merchant services industry. 

Of course, these Internet-based approaches are vulnerable 

competitively when it comes to customer service. A direct sales 

model cuts a major cost center but customer service and training 

capability are necessary, especially in this era of high business 

failure and low rates of business formation. Very few “green field” 

opportunities exist. Existing data needs to be moved to the new 

scheme—rarely a hands-off exercise. Clerk training cannot always 

be accomplished by snippets of video (although it is remarkable 

how well that works). 

In other words, as complexity increases, the need for customer 

service and training increases—no matter how elegant a tabletbased 

touchscreen may be. But if a solution is well designed, 

complexity falls away and usage increases. Just look at Apple and 

consider what Square is trying to do. 

MSPs who take the admonition to “simplify, simplify, simplify” 

to heart and to their merchant customers will win. The focus has 

to be on delivering services that improve the merchant’s top and 

bottom lines. Payments acceptance alone is no longer a function 

that can do both. There has to be more to the MSP value proposition. 

Taking a vertical integration approach is one way to expand 

that value. TT 

George Peabody is director, emerging technologies 

advisory service, for Mercator Advisory Group in 

Maynard, Massachusetts. Reach him at gpeabody@ 

mercatoradvisorygroup.com. 

Processing 

Network 

The everywhereProcessingNetwork SM 


SecureNet. 

Everyone Else. 

Which payment system would you rely on to 

deliver increased revenue to your merchants 

With over $12 billion in annual transactions and more than 14,000 merchants 

nationwide, SecureNet Payment Systems offers everything from traditional 

payment processing to the most cost-effective eCommerce solutions available. 

Welcome to your ultimate all-in-one payment platform. Welcome to SecureNet. 

Learn more about our affordable, full-service products at SecureNet.com 

©2012 SecureNet. All rights reserved. 


[ Mobile Commerce Providers Guide ] 

Who’s Who 

in Mobile Commerce 

Second annual Mobile Commerce Providers Guide 

highlights the players in this $172-billion industry 


Are mobile payments hitting their 

stride Developments over the 

past few weeks and months seem 

to point in that direction, including 

Starbucks’ partnership with and investment 

in Square, and the creation of ETA’s Mobile 

Payments Committee, which features AT&T, 

Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and others in the mobile 

payments space. 

Further, new data from Gartner Inc. suggests 

worldwide mobile payment transactions will surpass 

$171.5 billion in 2012—which would represent 

a 61.9 percent increase from 2011 values 

of $105.9 billion. 

Data also shows that the number of mobile 

payment users will reach 212.2 million by the 

end of this year, up from last year’s 160.5 million. 

And, an even more eye-opening prediction 

from Gartner: Global mobile transactions will 

continue growing by about 42 percent for each 

of the next four years, with the market worth 

hitting $617 billion and the user base nearing 

450 million by 2016. 

Then there’s the not-as-easily-quantifiablebut-just-as-noticeable 

uptick in mobile payments 

products and providers since this time last year. 

Just consider the increased bulk of this year’s Mobile 

Commerce Providers Guide. 

Transaction Trends compiled the guide to 

offer readers a better understanding of the players 

in this space who provide opportunities for 

business partnerships. For quick reference, each 

company’s products and services are classified in 

up to 11 categories: carriers, carrier billing, loyalty 

and rewards, mobile acceptance, mobile payments, 

mobile wallets, P2P payments, POS hardware and 

handsets, prepaid, promotions and offers, and software. 

These categories are designated by icons in 

each listing. Also included is basic contact information 

as well as details on how each company plans 

to get its mobile commerce solution to market— 

via ISOs, directly to merchants, etc. 

Aside from conducting internal research, 

Transaction Trends also asked mobile commerce 

providers to supply more information on 

their mobile products and services. But despite 

editors’ best efforts, some information may be 

incomplete. Our goal with this guide is to provide 

you with insights on key participants in the 

market who offer potential partnerships for your 

business. We hope that you keep it throughout 

the year and refer to it often. 



Allied Wallet Ltd. 

Headquarters: London, United Kingdom 

Website: alliedwallet.com 

Year founded: 2002 

Alpha Card Services 

Headquarters: Huntingdon Valley, PA 

Website: alphacardservices.com 


American Express 

CB 

Headquarters: New York, NY 

Website: serve.com 


AnywhereCommerce 

Headquarters: Montreal, QC, Canada 

Website: anywherecommerce.com 


appMobi 

Headquarters: Lancaster, PA 

Website: appmobi.com 


Allied Wallet seeks to simplify global payment processing for 

merchants and consumers alike. In pursuit of this goal, the Londonbased 

company is developing a suite of payment products for different 

types of merchants. These products will include a tokenized payment 

solution for mobile application developers and an update to its 

E-Wallet mobile application. 

Allied Wallet has a robust team of resellers and sales representatives 

that promote its products alongside its marketing department with 

the aid of its website. 

Alpha Card Services offers merchants—especially those in the 

restaurant and retail space—the mobility, security, and convenience of 

accepting credit cards through most smartphones and mobile devices, 

including Android, iPhone, and iPad. The company’s solution can turn a 

merchant’s smartphone into a mobile processing terminal in a matter 

of minutes thanks to a free placement reader and downloadable 

software app. 

Alpha Card Services sells its mobile payment solution through ISOs 

and various alliance partners. 

Released last year, American Express’ Serve is a digital platform that 

lets consumers make purchases and payments both online via mobile 

phones and, using the Serve prepaid card, anywhere American 

Express is accepted. Serve offers multiple payment options including 

P2P, mobile, traditional swipe and online transactions, and the Serve 

Facebook app, all under a single account. 

Serve is marketed directly to consumers and merchants as well as 

through partnerships for Serve integration. 

AnywhereCommerce is a global m-commerce payments technology, 

engineering, and solutions provider with patented and proprietary 

suites of hardware, software, and gateway solutions for secure mobile, 

card-present credit card, PIN debit, Chip and PIN, EMV, and NFC 

transactions. Its universal aCommerce platform—designed for iOS, 

Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile—provides white label and 

customized application services. Also, its PCI- and EMV-approved 

devices and bank-grade, secure end–to-end ecosystem provide 

greater security, reliability, convenience, and return on investment for 

consumers, merchants, networks, issuers, and acquirers. 

The aCommerce platform is sold to processors, acquirers, and payment 

service providers via distributors, ISOs, OEMs, and VARs. 

appMobi’s 1Touch payment technology enables “single touch” in-app 

purchases through a highly secure mobile wallet on the device and 

a few lines of HTML code. Developers add appMobi’s 1Touch to their 

app to give their users a frictionless way to purchase app content, 

subscriptions, merchandise, and more. 

1Touch is one of many Cloud services appMobi offers directly to 

mobile and HTML5 developers to help them maximize and monetize 

their apps. 

C 

carrier 

CB 

carrier billing 

loyalty and rewards 

mobile acceptance 

mobile payments 

mobile wallets 

P2P payments 

POS hardware/handsets 

prepaid 

promotions and offers 

software 


AppNinjas 

Headquarters: Dublin, OH 

Website: appninjas.com 


Apriva 

Headquarters: Scottsdale, AZ 

Website: apriva.com 


BilltoMobile 

CB 

Headquarters: San Jose, CA 

Website: billtomobile.com 


Buck 

Headquarters: Seattle, WA 

Website: gobuck.com 


CHARGE Anywhere 

Headquarters: South Plainfield, NJ 

Website: chargeanywhere.com 


Checkgateway 

Headquarters: Phoenix, AZ 

Website: checkgateway.com 


With the Swipe mobile payment application from AppNinjas, anyone who 

conducts business outside a traditional office or retail setting can quickly and 

easily accept credit card payments on their iPad, iPhone, iPod, or Android device. 

The simple-to-use app makes it possible for businesses and nonprofits to accept 

credit cards anywhere. 

Swipe is available for download through the Apple App Store or Google Play. 

Customers can apply for a merchant account through Swipe on their mobile 

device. 

Apriva’s portfolio encompasses gateway services, mobile payment applications, 

unattended payment solutions, and mobile commerce services. Apriva works 

with more than 850 distribution partners, as well as all leading payment 

processors and wireless carriers. 

Apriva’s mobile solutions are available through merchant acquirers, ISOs, and 

financial services providers. 

With more than a decade of experience and $4 billion-plus in transactions, 

BilltoMobile is a leader in converting online traffic to mobile billing 

revenue. With coverage in over 60 countries and 200 carriers, BilltoMobile offers 

the payment processing services merchants need to monetize a growing global 

market of billions of mobile consumers. 

BilltoMobile’s services are offered through resellers as well as directly to 

merchants. 

Buck’s new mobile-first shopping experience extends the reach of brands by 

streaming products to followers and enabling friends to share products with 

one another. Buck provides consumers with a simple, single-tap shopping 

experience, bridging the gap between product discovery and conversion. 

Buck’s service is promoted by publishing partners (print and digital), and sold 

directly to merchants and brands by Buck. 

CHARGE Anywhere provides customers with a complete payment acceptance 

ecosystem, including award-winning, secure POS solutions and a proprietary PCI 

DSS Level 1 validated payment gateway. CHARGE Anywhere Payment software 

solutions are designed for use with Windows, QuickBooks, smartphones, tablets, 

POS terminals, and e-commerce environments. 

The company plans to get its mobile commerce solutions to market via ISOs and 

financial institutions as well as directly to merchants and software integrators, 

among other market segments. 

Checkgateway’s ACH electronic check platform can be integrated into most 

mobile payment offerings, allowing mobile and e-commerce clients to increase 

both sales and revenue. 

Merchants can acquire Checkgateway’s solution via ISOs as well as through the 

company’s technology partners. 

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Cimbal Inc. 

Headquarters: Los Altos, CA 

Website: cimbal.com 


Datalink Bankcard Services 

Headquarters: Richardson, TX 

Website: datalinkonline.net 


Double Diamond Group LLC 

Headquarters: Centennial, CO 

Website: doublediamondgroup.com 


eProcessing Network LLC 

Headquarters: Houston, TX 

Website: eProcessingNetwork.com 


Firethorn Mobile Inc. 

Headquarters: Atlanta, GA 

Website: firethornmobile.com 


First Annapolis Consulting Inc. 

C CB 

Headquarters: Linthicum, MD 

Website: firstannapolis.com 


Cimbal is a software-driven mobile payment and promotion network. 

It enables transactions in-store, online, and person-to-person. All data is 

stored at the Cloud level, so no sensitive information is ever resident on the 

device or sent across a network. Cimbal expands the point of sale to enable 

transactions from paper (restaurants, bills) billboards, computer screens, card 

terminals, newspapers, magazines, television, and radio. Its software also can 

communicate with NFC chips embedded in a device. 

Cimbal licenses its platform as a white-label solution to large enterprises for 

their respective end-user customers. 

Datalink Bankcard Services provides a full range of mobile commerce solutions 

for its customers. The company’s mobile payment applications transform 

merchants’ mobile phones into complete wireless credit card terminals and 

reporting devices. Datalink also offers mobile payment peripherals such as 

audio jack and serial port card readers, receipt printers, and mobile sleeves. 

Datalink’s products are sold directly to merchants as well as through affiliates, 

ISOs, and other partners and resellers. 

Double Diamond Group is a consulting firm dedicated to helping clients 

develop innovative and industry-leading business strategy, launch new 

products, identify new markets, and establish a viable payments aggregation 

model. The company knows where the mobile payments market is going and 

identifies the strategies, technologies, and tactical solutions that move clients to 

where the market will be. 

eProcessing Network’s ePNMobile is compatible with a large number of mobile 

devices, including Android and BlackBerry phones and tablets, as well as iPads, 

iPhones, and iPod Touches. 

Merchants can simply install the ePNMobile app onto their device from the 

Apple App Store or Android Market. (BlackBerry users can log in to the ePN 

Merchant Support Center to download the app.) 

Firethorn Mobile’s Cloud-based FirethornPay product enables consumers to 

pay using their smartphones. Consumers can easily load and top-up a mobilestored 

value card, in addition to receiving loyalty rewards for use at check-out. 

For retailers, existing POS and loyalty systems are leveraged and transactions are 

processed as they are today without the need to purchase barcode scanners. 

Firethorn Mobile’s SWAGG application, on the other hand, allows consumers to 

enter and manage their plastic gift and rewards cards directly on their phone. 

FirethornPay is a B2B service for both retailers and application service 

providers, while SWAGG is offered direct to consumers via the Apple App Store 

and Google Play. 

First Annapolis Consulting’s Mobile Commerce & Alternative Payments practice 

area is focused on helping companies adapt to innovations impacting the 

industry, particularly the paradigm shift toward integrated marketing and 

payments. 

The firm’s engagements—which are provided to merchants, acquirers, 

issuers, and retailers, in addition to wireless carriers and alternative payments 

providers—encompass an array of mobile services such as mobile wallets, 

marketing/advertising applications (including offers, shopping, and loyalty), 

and mobile banking. 

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First Data 

Headquarters: Atlanta, GA 

Website: firstdata.com 


FlowPay Corporation Inc. 

Headquarters: Highlands Ranch, CO 

Website: flowpaycorp.com 


Gemalto 

Headquarters: Austin, TX 

Website: gemalto.com 


Go Mobile Commerce 

CB 

Headquarters: Tacoma, WA 

Website: gomobilecommerce.com 


Google Inc. 

Headquarters: Mountain View, CA 

Website: google.com/wallet 


Groupon 

Headquarters: Chicago, IL 

Website: groupon.com 


First Data is a leader in the mobile commerce revolution with payment 

solutions and security to help its customers drive ROI and enable consumers 

to conveniently pay using their mobile devices. With the help of First Data 

SourceConnect SM TSM Solution and First Data uCommerce SM Solutions, any 

NFC-enabled mobile device can be turned into a secure wallet. 

First Data delivers its mobile commerce solutions directly to merchants and 

financial institutions as well as through ISOs and agents. 

FlowPay’s mobile solution allows any person in a congregation to make secure 

donations to nonprofit organizations and political campaigns and do so without 

transmitting any financial data. 

The solution is made available to churches, para-ministries, and nonprofit 

organizations via both a direct and an indirect sales distribution channel. 

Billions of people worldwide increasingly want the freedom to communicate, 

travel, shop, bank, entertain, and work—anytime, anywhere—in ways that 

are convenient, enjoyable, and secure. Gemalto, which has more than 10,000 

employees operating out of 74 offices and 14 research and development 

centers in 43 countries, delivers on their expanding needs for personal mobile 

services, identity protection, payment security, authenticated online services, 

Cloud computing access, modern transportation, M2M communication, 

eHealthcare, and eGovernment services. 

Gemalto is working diligently with its partners to ensure there is a smooth 

and efficient process in place for its users when it comes to getting its mobile 

commerce solutions to market. 

Go Mobile Commerce specializes in handheld, wireless credit card machine 

rentals for short-term use (such as at auctions, festivals, and golf tournaments), 

although it also has experience with mobile payment application development 

and pay-at-the-table POS systems. 

Go Mobile Commerce sells its solutions through ISOs as well as directly to 

merchants via a recently opened retail showroom and its website. 

Google has partnered with leading companies across the mobile, financial, 

and retail ecosystems to develop Google Wallet, a virtual wallet that stores 

consumers’ payment cards, offers, and more on their phones and online. 

Google Wallet is offered directly to consumers. 

On the consumer side, Chicago-based Groupon, which markets its mobile 

commerce solutions directly to its existing merchant base, has a mobile 

payments solution, an e-wallet, loyalty programs, reward programs, and offers. 

On the merchant side, it has an app that allows for acceptance of credit cards 

and offers. 

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Heartland Payment Systems 

Headquarters: Princeton, NJ 

Website: heartlandpaymentsystems.com 


Isis 

C 


Website: paywithisis.com 


LevelUp 

Headquarters: Boston, MA 

Website: thelevelup.com 


MagTek Inc. 

Headquarters: Seal Beach, CA 

Website: magtek.com 


Merchant Warehouse 


Website: merchantwarehouse.com 


mobeam Inc. 

Headquarters: San Francisco, CA 

Website: mobeam.com 


Heartland Payment Systems’ Mobuyle product delivers the functionality of an 

attended terminal right into the palm of a merchant’s hands by turning a mobile 

device into a payment terminal. The merchant simply plugs the encrypting 

card reader into the device’s audio jack and it’s ready to accept credit, debit, 

and commercial cards, as well as Heartland gift cards, through the Mobuyle 

application. 

The Mobuyle encrypting card reader is available directly from Heartland 

through its relationship managers, while the app can be downloaded from the 

Apple Store or Google Play. 

The Isis Mobile Wallet uses NFC-enabled smartphones to transform how 

consumers and merchants interact. Consumers can discover and redeem offers, 

present loyalty cards, and make purchases—all with a tap of their phones. “Isis 

Ready” merchants can enjoy an enhanced level of one-on-one engagement 

with consumers through customized marketing campaigns designed to 

increase consumer loyalty and spending. 

The Isis Mobile Wallet will be available to consumers through AT&T, T-Mobile, 

and Verizon Wireless. Isis will be offered as a mobile commerce platform to 

merchants both directly and with the help of acquirers and ISOs. 

With LevelUp—which is backed by Google Ventures, Balderton Capital, 

Continental Advisors, Highland Capital, Transmedia Capital, and T-Venture— 

merchants are able to run high-tech mobile payment and customer 

engagement programs. LevelUp charges a zero percent payment processing 

fee, allowing merchants to re-invest savings into growing their business by 

attracting and retaining new customers. 

LevelUp is offered directly to consumers and merchants. 

MagTek’s mobile commerce solution, QwickPAY, which surpasses current PCI 

DSS standards, encrypts card data from the point of swipe and combines the 

multilayered security of MagneSafe. It brings convenience to mobile payments 

without sacrificing security. In addition, it’s easy to use and can help merchants 

lower their cost of accepting cards by as much as 30 percent. 

MagTek’s mobile commerce solutions are available direct to merchants, as well 

as through VARs and ISOs. 

Merchant Warehouse’s Genius Customer Engagement Platform aggregates 

and integrates any conceivable transaction technology, payment type, and 

customer program—both present and future—into a single countertop device. 

Genius was created to address three common pain points felt by merchants, 

POS developers, and payment providers: choice, security, and access. 

Although Genius will only be made available through integrated POS partners 

initially, it will become generally available in early 2013. 

Mobeam overcomes the technical barrier preventing mobile phones from 

interacting with laser scanners at checkout. Mobeam makes it possible for 

consumers to digitally receive and store barcode-enabled offers—coupons, 

loyalty cards, gift cards, tickets, and more—and then digitally redeem them 

directly from their smartphone when they shop. 

Mobeam works with handset manufacturers, CPG manufacturers, retail 

distributors, and developers to put Mobeam directly in the hands of consumers. 

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Offer more currencies. 

Get more merchants. 

Pay In Your Currency ® lets your merchants 

sell in multiple currencies, increasing their 

sales and your profitability. 

Pay In Your Currency is an innovative payment solution that lets 

international customers pay in the currency they know best – 

their own. This unique, value-added service lets you improve 

profitability, earn more revenue from your current customers 

and gain a significant competitive advantage. 

See for yourself how 

Pay In Your Currency works. 

Watch a quick demo now: 

GetPYC.com 

Or visit us at PayInYourCurrency.com 

Call us 1-800-489-0174 

Planet Payment ® , Pay In Your Currency ® and the “Currency Block” design are trademarks of Planet Payment, Inc. © 2012 Planet Payment, Inc. All rights reserved. 

To contact us call 800-489-0174, email pyc@planetpayment.com or visit us online at planetpayment.com


MobiSquad 

Headquarters: Phoenix, AZ 

Website: mobisquad.com 


Mocapay 

Headquarters: Denver, CO 

Website: mocapay.com 


PayAnywhere 

Headquarters: Troy, MI 

Website: payanywhere.com 


Payment Alliance International 

Headquarters: Louisville, KY 

Website: GoPAI.com 


PayOne 

C 


Website: payone.com 


PayPal 


Website: paypal.com 


MobiSquad provides equipment and training to local merchants, enabling 

them to accept contactless payments and offers from users of the Isis Mobile 

Wallet, which allows consumers to store debit, credit, and loyalty cards, as well 

as coupons and transit passes. 

MobiSquad’s direct sales team speeds around town in purple smart cars 

delivering NFC acceptance technology to small and mid-sized merchants. 

Mocapay provides merchants—including restaurants, hotels, spas, and retail— 

with the technology to open a new customer channel and access information 

in a way that allows them to truly own the customer relationship. Mocapay’s 

mobile marketing, loyalty, gift card, comp card, and payments solutions may be 

used independently of other marketing programs or integrated with existing 

programs and strategies. 

PayAnywhere’s enterprise-grade mobile POS solution allows merchants of any 

size to sell anything, anywhere with the swipe of a credit card on their mobile 

devices. PayAnywhere is a highly secure, feature-rich, “pay-as-you-go” mobile 

POS solution that allows merchants to engage customers and grow their 

businesses. 

PayAnywhere is available directly to merchants, who can sign up online, in-app, 

or purchase the reader at retail locations. 

PAI’s Mobile Acquiring solution includes “QwickPay,” which enables 

smartphones to act as POS terminals. Mobile loyalty/rewards products include 

the On Target Marketing product, which provides SMS text messaging and 

enrollment for couponing and rewards at its POS retail and ATM locations. P2P 

services include “QwickCodes” (cardless ATM cash access using tokens) and 

prepaid card money transfers as access accounts. 

PAI markets its solutions through distributors, direct sales, telemarketing, 

financial institutions, and via text marketing, as well as on-screen/digital 

advertising at its 60,000-plus ATMs. 

PayOne’s AnyPhone solution can be used by merchants and content owners to 

monetize their games and apps, charge for subscriptions and digital content, 

or give their customers an easy way to pay for parking, purchase tickets, and 

complete other transactions that are billed directly to their mobile phone bill. 

PayOne works directly with merchants and developers looking to monetize 

their digital content with easily integrated, friction-free billing services. 

PayPal created the first digital wallet more than 14 years ago as a way to ensure 

that consumers could make payments quickly, easily, and securely. Today, the 

company has mobile solutions on the market ranging from Mobile Express 

Checkout, which brings the convenience of PayPal Express Checkout online, 

to its mobile platform and PayPal Here, which offers merchants a complete 

payment solution by allowing them to accept almost any form of payment. 

PayPal offers solutions that benefit both consumers and retailers large and 

small. The company offers its customers the ability to access their PayPal 

accounts both offline and online without having to share their bank account or 

credit information, and as an added feature they’re able to unlock benefits such 

as online rewards and real-time account alerts via text message. For retailers, 

PayPal provides them with the tools to sell to anyone, anytime, anywhere. 

Ultimately, those who will use PayPal will be consumers and retailers looking for 

flexibility, security, and convenience in a payment solution. 

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Managing Payments, 

Driving Solutions 

We’re Vantiv. 

Dedicated, strategic professionals with 40 years of experience developing 

innovative payment processing solutions for merchants across the nation. 

We’ll work with you to develop programs that simplify your payment 

acceptance strategies, while providing you with new sources of revenue. 

And we’ll help protect your business with our comprehensive data 

security and fraud prevention solutions. 

Our people, technology, and partnerships are the Vantiv difference. 

Let’s discuss your future success. 

Let’s talk 

payment processing 

866.622.2833 

vantiv.com/tt 

© Copyright 2012 Vantiv, LLC. All rights reserved. 

Expect more.


Placecast 


Website: placecast.net 


ProPay Inc. 

Headquarters: Lehi, UT 

Website: propay.com 


ROAM Data 


Website: roamdata.com 


Sage Payment Solutions (a division 

of Sage North America) 

Headquarters: McLean, VA 

Website: na.sage.com/sage-payment-solutions/ 


SecureNet Payment Systems 

Headquarters: Austin, TX 

Website: securenet.com 


SHAZAM 

Headquarters: Johnston, IA 

Website: shazam.net 


Placecast, a leader in location-based marketing, has been successfully 

monetizing mobile, and delivering increased ROI for its clients, with ShopAlerts, 

an end-to-end mobile monetization platform. With more than 130 brand clients, 

and major carriers and credit card companies as licensed ShopAlerts partners, 

Placecast currently reaches over 10 million active opt-in users across the U.S. 

and U.K. 

Placecast partners with retailers, mobile carriers, and payment companies to 

deploy its solution. 

ProPay provides multiple mobile processing options that enable merchants to 

accept card payments using regular touchtone phones, mobile card readers, 

smartphones, and other tablet PC devices. The company recently announced 

a new product called ProPay Link, a social, mobile payment platform that 

connects customers and merchants in a new way. At the heart of ProPay’s 

mobile solutions is ProtectPay, a secure payment service. ProPay’s mobile card 

readers encrypt sensitive payment data at swipe, ensuring the customer’s 

payment data is secure throughout the transaction. 

ROAM Data is a payments-platform-as-a-service provider, with solutions that 

suit card-present and card-not-present transactions. The company offers secure 

APIs and hardware for mobile POS. Also, it has a mobile-optimized checkout 

and wallet solution for consumer-facing applications. 

ROAM uses mostly indirect channels—such as ISOs, systems integrators, and 

VARs—to market its solutions. It also has a direct sales force that targets key 

verticals. 

Sage Mobile Payments allows organizations to cost-effectively and securely 

process credit and debit card transactions on mobile phones and tablets. PCIcompliant 

and bundled with a Sage merchant account, the product features 

signature-capture capabilities, a tax-and-tip calculator, and a free Sage Mobile 

“app store” download. 

SPS actively markets its products through its sales channels, ISOs, cross-sell 

opportunities, and conferences/trade shows. 

SecureNet’s leading-edge mobile platform includes: MobilePOS, which allows 

merchants to accept credit, debit, and check payments through mobile devices 

and provides valuable business analytics for smarter business decisions, and 

Mobile CheckOut, which allows merchants and mobile solution providers to 

seamlessly plug in SecureNet-powered payment solutions behind mobile POS 

applications without worrying about PCI DSS compliance. 

Strong partnerships in the ISO and reseller community uniquely position 

SecureNet to lead a multichannel distribution strategy for mobile solutions. 

SHAZAM’s Pentagon solution is a mobile payments application that allows 

merchants—such as cab drivers, plumbers, electricians, contractors, personal 

trainers, and massage therapists—to accept PIN debit, signature debit, and credit 

card transactions using iPhone and Android mobile phone and tablet devices. 

The solution uses the customer’s phone for PIN capture. 

SHAZAM markets directly to merchants, as well as to its member financial 

institutions and their merchant portfolios. 

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ShopKeep POS 


Website: shopkeep.com 


SparkBase 

Headquarters: Cleveland, OH 

Website: sparkbase.com 


Spindle Inc. 

Headquarters: Scottsdale, AZ 

Website: spindle.com 


Square 


Website: squareup.com 


Street Savings 

Headquarters: Orange, CA 

Website: streetsavings.com 


Transaction Network Services Inc. 

Headquarters: Reston, VA 

Website: tnsi.com 


ShopKeep POS is a Cloud-based POS solution that allows any merchant to 

manage his/her business. By providing a front-end iPad register and BackOffice 

with detailed reporting on inventory, sales, and customer relationship 

management, the ShopKeep POS software-as-a-service never lets your system 

become outdated. 

ShopKeep POS is distributed through direct sales, ISOs, and VARs. 

SparkBase’s Paycloud makes loyalty easy for businesses by providing types of 

loyalty programs that work well for each industry and implementing as well 

as mobilizing them. Utilizing iPhone and Android smartphones in addition to 

plastic cards, Paycloud enables loyalty rewards, delivers merchant coupons, and 

provides insightful customer analytics. 

SparkBase’s solutions are distributed by ISOs as well as directly to merchants 

and consumers. 

Spindle Inc.’s mobile payment solutions incorporate credit, debit, stored value, 

ACH, and SMS payment methods. Its product portfolio includes RhinoPay, 

an alternative payment solution that is network- and device-agnostic. The 

company also owns and has developed an extensive intellectual property 

portfolio, including issued, pending, and provisional patents covering 

networked and mobile payments, credit card processing, and security. 

Spindle works with financial institutions and communications providers to 

reach merchants and consumers. 

Square hopes to revolutionize everyday transactions between buyers and 

sellers with its free credit card reader for the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, 

allowing anyone to accept credit cards anywhere, anytime. Square Register 

serves as a full POS system for businesses to accept payments, track inventory, 

and share menu and location information. Pay with Square, on the other hand, 

enables individuals to pay with their name at their favorite local merchants, 

discover nearby businesses, explore menu listings, and store receipts. 

Square provides its card readers to merchants and consumers for free from 

its website. It’s also available in over 20,000 retail locations including Apple, 

Best Buy, FedEx Office, OfficeMax, Radio Shack, Target, Sprint, Walgreens, and 

Walmart. 

Street Savings provides certified mobile marketing and engagement solutions 

that increase revenue for merchants, acquiring banks, and resellers by costeffectively 

mobilizing gift and loyalty programs. The company’s products 

send text message offers that customers can redeem on merchant credit card 

terminals and POS systems, helping businesses both build loyalty and increase 

sales. 

Street Savings markets its product through agents, ISOs, and partners. 

TNS offers solutions for mobile payments acceptance, including payment 

gateway services that are pre-integrated with specific third-party hardware and 

software solutions and certified to the leading processing platforms, as well 

as services designed to enrich mobile commerce for merchants, issuers, and 

alternative payment service providers, where the mobile device represents the 

wallet and the vehicle for marketing to the mobile consumer. 

TNS sells via an ISO channel for its mobile POS gateway, via American Express 

for its mCommerce gateway, and direct to merchants and issuers for its mobile 

commerce offerings. 

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TrustCommerce 

Headquarters: Irvine, CA 

Website: trustcommerce.com 


TSYS Acquiring Solutions 

Headquarters: Tempe, AZ 

Website: merchantexperience.com 


Tyfone 

Headquarters: Portland, OR 

Website: tyfone.com 


U.S. Cellular 

C 

Headquarters: Chicago, IL 

Website: uscellular.com 


USAePay 

Headquarters: Los Angeles, CA 

Website: usaepay.com 


VeriFone Inc. 


Website: verifone.com 


ViVOtech 

Headquarters: Santa Clara, CA 

Website: vivotech.com 


PayWithIt secure mobile payment application is the ideal way to accept credit 

cards, signature debit, and ACH on the go. Available through popular devices, 

merchants can securely accept payments by encrypted card swipe or manual 

entry. Both merchant data and customer data remain protected at all points. 

PayWithIt can be used in conjunction with all TrustCommerce payment 

solutions. 

PayWithIt is a free application available for download from major app stores. 

TSYS’ Mobile Payment Acceptance is a smartphone-based payments application 

that accepts debit and credit cards. It features cardholder signature capture, 

seamlessly emails receipts to customers, and supports encrypted card readers. 

All card data is transmitted securely using TSYS’ proprietary point-to-point 

encryption. 

TSYS Acquiring Solutions markets Mobile Payment Acceptance to its acquiring 

and merchant services base. 

Tyfone’s iCashe is a mobile wallet that blends comprehensive mobile banking 

features with convenient consumer purchasing, gifting, and loyalty programs. 

Gift cards can be purchased through iCashe and delivered via email and SMS, 

letting users complete the gifting process from within their mobile banking 

application anytime, anywhere. 

Banks and credit unions looking to add iCashe to their mobile banking 

applications work with Tyfone to integrate the service. 

U.S. Cellular is committed to providing customers with mobile commerce 

solutions that are enabled via mobile devices. As a wireless carrier, the Chicagobased 

company strives to create and deliver secure technologies that leverage 

its network, while making the lives of its customers easier and better. 

USAePay’s PaySaber mobile POS products are secure mobile payment solutions 

that process transactions via the USAePay Gateway. Whether you need a simple 

card reader or a mobile terminal complete with barcode scanner and thermal 

printer, PaySaber has a solution for any size business. 

USAePay markets its solutions, which are compatible with Apple/Android 

devices, via ISOs and MSPs. 

VeriFone leverages the power of mobile and Web and integrates with the world 

of retail and payments to bring new shopping experiences to merchants and 

consumers anywhere. From accepting NFC and Cloud wallets to transforming 

smartphones and tablet computers into mobile POS systems and in-store 

shopping assistants, VeriFone has it all. 

VeriFone works through multiple channels that include direct to merchant, 

acquirers, ISOs, re-sellers, and VARs. 

Founded in 2001, Silicon Valley-based ViVOtech provides merchant, mobile, 

payment, Web, and advertising companies the key building blocks of the NFC 

ecosystem: smart applications for enhancing the customer experience, trusted 

service manager (TSM) software, and POS systems. 

ViVOtech markets its mobile commerce solutions—which enable in-store 

payment, loyalty, marketing, and merchandising—directly to merchants, as well 

as via ISOs. 

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Voltage Security 

Headquarters: Cupertino, CA 

Website: voltage.com 


Zenius Solutions Inc. 

C 

Headquarters: Redding, CA 

Website: zenius.com 


Voltage provides end-to-end encryption solutions to secure cardholder data 

in mobile transactions from both mobile browser and mobile app as well as 

in-store mobile POS devices. Voltage solutions drastically reduce PCI scope and 

compliance costs. The solutions are vendor-agnostic and encrypt data at swipe 

or key-in, keeping data encrypted until it reaches its processing destination. 

Voltage plans to bring its solution to merchants through partnerships with 

payment processors, mobile POS vendors, and mobile app developers. 

Zenius Inc. is a software company that produces end-to-end transaction 

systems solutions, NFC middleware, and NFC applications software solutions 

for mobile payment and transactions. Mobile commerce solutions include the 

Zenius Wallet that runs on Android, iOS, and RIM devices; TransactionServer for 

processing closed-loop transactions; open-loop apps for the world’s leading 

payment brands; software SDK for developing mobile software applications; 

and a suite of closed-loop NFC apps for coupon, ticketing, loyalty, identity, 

metro, and bank card—all of which may be rebranded. With Zenius M-Transact, 

customers can use popular mobile devices for payment and transaction 

acceptance. 

Zenius sells solutions to payment solutions providers, financial institutions, 

MNOs, system operators, and platform providers who integrate its middleware, 

wallet solution, closed-loop apps, and M-Transact acceptance software. TT 

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POS 

Learn more at apriva.com or call us at 877-277-0728 

Security. 

Connectivity. 

Mobility. 

ATTRACT MORE MERCHANTS 

TAILOR-MADE POS SOLUTIONS GIVE YOUR MERCHANTS THE ABILITY TO SELL ANYTHING, ANYWHERE 

Wireless Terminals • Secure Gateway • Cashless Vending • Mobile Payments • Mobile Wallet 


We’ve Got Your Gear. 

Elavon gives you exactly what you need to achieve peak performance. 

Get Equipped to Succeed. 

Elavon provides partners all the tools needed to be successful. In addition to 

our best-in-class payment solutions, we handle all customer service, decision 

applications within 24 hours, and offer generous revenue-sharing programs so 

you can make the investments necessary to grow your business. And we are 

backed by the financial strength and stability of U.S. Bank, extending peace of 

mind to you and your merchants. 

• Freedom From Risk & Liability 

• No Minimum Revenue Commitments 

• Flexible Pricing Programs 

• Residual Advance Programs 

Learn more @ elavon.com/MSPsuccess 

©2012 Elavon, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[ FEATURE ] 

Social Payments: 

“Like” 

Consumers embrace mobile payments via 

social networks as fast as they’re launched 

By Julie Ritzer Ross 

just a few short years ago, most consumers hadn’t considered using 

social networks for any reason other than to update status and 

check on friends. And few had thought about paying for purchases 

with a mobile device, getting emails and texts about personalized 

special deals, or collecting real-money loyalty rewards. Today, new 

payment options that leverage social networks are emerging, and a 

convergence of mobile payments and mobile loyalty has begun. 

Until recently, Facebook had its own virtual currency—Facebook 

Credits—used primarily for the purchase of virtual goods, such as “gifts” 

to post on friends’ walls and games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars. Facebook 

nixed the credits last summer. Users now buy items with their 

own local currency and also have the option to subscribe to Facebook 

services that require monthly payments. Under the original Facebook 

payment model, only one-time payments were accepted. 

With the new system, users enter their 

credit card information once for storage 

on the Facebook server and then complete 

transactions with a single click. “By supporting 

pricing in local currency (instead of credits), 

we hope to simplify the purchase experience, 

give (merchants) more flexibility, and 

make it easier to reach a global audience of 

users,” a Facebook spokesperson said when 

the changes were announced in mid-June. 

Analysts say the selection of tangible 

(nonvirtual) merchandise available for purchase 

through Facebook is small for now 

and the social network has far to go before 

it sits on a level playing field with the likes 

of iTunes. However, the migration from virtual 

credits to real currency is only the first 

of several Facebook initiatives aimed at leveraging 

the electronic payments space to 

generate more revenue from sources other 

than advertising. 

“They are showing us they care about 

driving revenue, and that is what investors 

want to see,” says Michael Pachter, an equities 

analyst with Wedbush Securities. 

Strategic Alliances 

In February, Facebook inked a deal with 

Bango, a mobile payments technology provider, 

enabling consumers to buy digital 

items (such as online games) and nondigital 

merchandise (such as concert tickets) while 

KEY NOTES 

8 Facebook has a long way to go 

before it competes with iTunes for 

online purchases, but its migration from 

virtual credits to real currency is just 

the first of several Facebook initiatives 

aimed at generating more revenue 

from non-advertising sources. 

8 Although “daily deal” sites like 

Groupon generated $3 billion in 

revenues in 2011, consumers are 

growing weary of the number of offers 

and their lack of relevance, leading to 

the emergence of more personalized 

deals, like a new program from Amex. 

8 In an emerging social-mobile 

model, consumers convert accrued 

loyalty points and airline miles to “real 

currency” to use at any merchant. 



[ FEATURE ] 

logged into Facebook’s mobile version. Users 

purchase with a single click and charges appear 

on their mobile phone bills. Bango gets 

an undisclosed cut of each click, and the mobile 

carriers receive negotiated, varied fees as 

well. The service went live last month in the 

United States, United Kingdom, and Germany. 

Despite the need to spread around the 

processing wealth, observers say the alliance 

between Bango and the social network 

has potential to shore up Facebook as 

a payments platform—especially considering 

half of its 955 million users worldwide 

access Facebook on their mobile phones. 

The relationship also lets Facebook grab a 

slice of the pie from contenders like Google, 

and avoid sharing revenues with them. 

Still, this is just the tip of the iceberg 

where changes in social payments are concerned. 

Social networks and social media 

also are being used to deliver deals. For 

example, shoppers who check in on Foursquare 

at any Walgreens store immediately 

receive a unique, scannable coupon on 

their smartphone. Deals may be redeemed 

in-store at the point of sale. 

Another emerging trend is the personalization 

of “daily deals”—and maybe not a 

moment too soon. Although sites like Groupon 

generated $3 billion in revenues in 

2011, consumers are growing weary of the 

number of emailed deal offers they’re getting 

and turned off by the lack of relevance. 

“They have a real case of what we call 

deal fatigue, and it is not going away,” notes 

Jen Millard, chief revenue officer of Truaxis, 

which provides data personalization 

platforms to financial institutions and merchants. 

According to data from Truaxis: 

• One in six Americans over the age of 12 

(the majority of whom are women ages 

25 to 34) subscribe to a daily deal site. 

• Most subscribers joined for one deal, 

but have barely returned or have not 

returned to the site. 

• A total of 798 daily deal entities, or 8 percent 

of the industry, exited the market 

in the third and fourth quarters of 2011. 

• Daily deal site traffic has decreased by 

17 percent since the start of 2012. 

• Groupon’s revenue totaled $1.6 billion 

in 2011, but its losses totaled $257 

million. 

• LivingSocial brought in $245 million in 

revenue last year, but incurred losses of 

$558 million. 

30 October 2012 | Transaction trends 

Truaxis has configured a “relevance engine” 

that allows merchants to target offers 

to specific customers based on such factors 

as transaction levels, previous purchases, 

buying patterns, and other parameters. 

Similarly, Groupon has unveiled a Smart- 

Deals personalization algorithm. Groupon 

CEO Andrew Mason says merchants see 50 

percent higher purchase rates when offers 

are designed in line with the algorithm. 

American Express is actually making the 

most comprehensive attempt at personalizing 

daily deals. Last May, Amex introduced a 

mobile offer engine that harnesses data from 

a “cardmember spend graph” and cardmembers’ 

geographic location to recommend 

and rank offers from merchants. More than 3 

million cardmembers who have downloaded 

Amex’s iPhone app now have access to a 

“My Offers” feature through which they can 

obtain real-time lists of nearby deals in line 

with their purchase histories and current location. 

To claim an offer, cardmembers add it 

to the American Express card linked to their 

account and use that card when purchasing 

the deal from the participating merchant online 

or in-store; the discount is then applied 

to the account. 

At press time, the feature was being piloted 

with deals available from merchants 

in Los Angeles, California, and New York 

City, and with national offers from Dunkin’ 

Donuts, Baskin-Robbins, and FedEx. Plans 

call for a rollout of “My Offers” to more U.S. 

cities over the next year; global implementations 

also are on the drawing board. 

“My Offers” builds upon other initiatives 

by Amex to support deal personalization. 

For instance, a “Link, Like, Love” promotion 

gave Facebook users deals tied to their 

“likes” and interests. 

As an adjunct to the mobile offer engine, 

Amex has enhanced its Go Social offer 

entry tool. Besides accessing performance 

statistics, such as the number of customers 

who redeemed an offer and the size of the 

average purchase, merchants can now set 

objectives for individual offers. For example, 

they can limit a given deal to members 

who have not patronized their establishments 

within a certain time parameter, or 

to those who do so more than a certain 

number of times each month and/or meet 

a particular spending limit. 

Last spring, Amex launched an SMS text 

message service for cardmembers who 

don’t own an iPhone. Members who opt 

in to the service get a text when they’re in 

the vicinity of a merchant offering a deal; if 

it appeals to them, they respond to the text, 

pay for the item or service with their card, 

and receive a text confirming the discount. 

Location-based alerts for iPhone users, 

which could be triggered when a member 

swipes his or her card, may be introduced 

as well, says a spokesperson. 

Bigger and Better Rewards 

Meanwhile, an increase in the number of 

consumers who carry their smartphones 

wherever they go and use them to interact 

with local businesses through mobile apps 

is leading to a convergence of mobile loyalty 

programs and mobile payments. 

“This is a natural next step as merchants 

try to find an easier way to engage 

and retain customers while collecting data 

that can be used to strengthen these ties,” 

states Dave Meeker, director of emerging 

technologies at Roundarch Isobar, a Boston-based 

digital marketing agency. “As 

NFC takes hold, there will be even more 

activity” on this front. 

A product from LevelUp, which works 

with any web-connected mobile device, is 

one example of the mobile payments and 

mobile loyalty marriage. Participants link 

their account with a credit or debit card 

and receive a unique quick-response (QR) 

code to display on their device. They then 

scan the code to pay for goods and services 

at any participating business, earning 

rewards redeemable at these merchants as 

well as credits of up to $20 for their initial 

visits to each establishment. 

LevelUp charges participating merchants 

a 2 percent payment processing 

fee and gives them the option to scan 

customers’ QR codes using an iPhone 

or Android application or specialized 

Android-powered hardware provided by 

T-Mobile. The company shares analytics 

with merchants so they can track customer 

spending; its data indicates that 

businesses get $5.70 in return for every 

dollar of initial visit credit extended, says 

LevelUp Founder Seth Priebatsch. In 

addition, 65 percent of customers who 

make an initial purchase at a particular 

establishment via LevelUp return to that 

store or restaurant at least once in the 

next 30 days.

Payment components are being integrated 

into loyalty programs to underscore 

heightened awareness that consumers now 

demand more personalized “deals” and 

enhanced reward redemption flexibility. 

The loyalty piece encourages customers 

to spend more money per transaction than 

they otherwise would, suggests Priebatsch. 

He pegs average purchase amounts for 

LevelUp members at seven to 10 percent 

higher than those for credit cards. 

Kuapay, a mobile payment solution provider, 

also has a mobile loyalty component. 

Like LevelUp, Kuapay’s app is built around 

QR codes, which, in this case, are generated 

by typing a passcode into an iPhone, Black- 

Berry, or Android device. Retailers scan the 

code using the Kuapay POS merchant app, 

generating a bill that appears on customers’ 

smartphone screens and is paid using their 

choice of linked credit or debit card. 

Once consumers have input their loyalty 

account numbers into Kuapay by 

tapping the “add” button in the app, they 

can search hundreds of reward programs 

and enter their account number into their 

Kuapay profile. The app generates a barcode 

for retailers to scan when it’s time to 

redeem a reward. Retailers pay a fee of 2 

percent plus 23 cents per accepted Kuapay 

transaction, with the solution provider netting 

5 cents from each one. 

“Whether a mobile payment/mobile 

wallet application uses QR codes or NFC, 

the loyalty piece and the mobile payment 

piece need to come in as a package deal,” 

says Kuapay Founder/CEO Joaquin Ayuso 

de Paul. “Customer expectation is the driver, 

and will continue to be the driver.” 

For its part, SparkBase, a provider of 

proprietary gift and loyalty programs, has 

jumped into the fray with a mobile app 

called Paycloud Mobile Wallet. Consumers 

opening the app on an iPhone or Android 

are presented with a map indicating the locations 

of nearby participating merchants. 

Each merchant is represented by a blue 

dot; tapping that dot allows users to sign 

up for that merchant’s loyalty program in 

single-click fashion. The app recognizes 

consumers’ arrival at any store or restaurant 

in whose program they have already 

enrolled and boots up accordingly. 

Depending on the configuration chosen 

by the individual retailer, customers can 

then check in at the business and, at the 

point of sale, redeem any points they have 

accumulated. They can also view and redeem 

specialized offers and rewards. Consumers 

don’t need an NFC-enabled device 

to use the app, and retailers don’t need additional 

equipment, either. Redemption is 

initiated by tapping the iPhone or Android 

to send an encrypted signal through the 

smartphone radio; the latter is picked up 

by a sensor that interfaces with existing 

POS terminals. 

In an entirely different vein, just as 

Facebook is being “monetized” with the 

conversion to real currency, different payment 

components are being integrated into 

loyalty programs. Such a move underscores 

heightened awareness among providers 

and merchants that consumers are beginning 

to demand not only more personalized 

“deals,” but also enhanced reward redemption 

flexibility. 

Loylogic, a global exchange and clearinghouse 

of virtual currencies, earlier this 

year unveiled PointsPay, which lets consumers 

convert accrued loyalty points 

and airline miles to “real currency” that’s 

good at any merchant that accepts Visa or 

MasterCard. The solution has a mobile element: 

Consumers download the PointsPay 

app on their iPhone and add their loyalty 

programs. Points and/or miles are then 

converted by being loaded onto a virtual 

or plastic prepaid Visa or MasterCard. Virtual 

cards may be used to shop online, and 

plastic cards may be used either online 

or in-store. 

The platform doesn’t require integration 

with POS solutions, which has traditionally 

been a “pain point” for merchants and an 

impediment to loyalty program implementation 

as a whole, says Robert Moerland, 

Loylogic’s vice president of business development. 

It also is attractive to merchants 

in that it opens up new ways to initiate or 

extend promotions. 

“What this represents in terms of future 

trends is the ability to offer choice and customization,” 

Moerland adds. “Programs can 

determine the conversion rate and may decide 

to offer personalized rates to specific 

member segments.” 

Without a more fluid mobile loyalty 

redemption scenario linked to payments, 

the mobile loyalty sector may flounder, as 

appears to be the case with more generic 

daily deals. “We are all looking for bigger, better 

rewards,” says Shane Kim, a partner and 

managing member of private equity firm 

Camden Partners in Baltimore. “Anything 

that doesn’t promote our principal reason 

for participating is standing in our way.” TT 

Julie Ritzer Ross is a contributing 

writer to Transaction Trends. Reach her 

at jritzerross@gmail.com. 


» Startup Stories: COCARD 

A New Lease 

on Life 

Focus on protecting residuals and giving members the tools for 

success brings rebirth to cooperative 

By John Manasso 

COCARD members volunteering their time at 

COCARD’s booth at the ETA conference 

COCARD 

Nashville, TN 

Annual processing volume: 

$3.3 billion 

“The main benefit 

members see is the 

security of their 

portfolio.” 

—Dan Brattland, Chairman 

A 

year ago, COCARD underwent what Chairman Dan Brattland calls a “rebirth.” 

Formed in 2000 as a cooperative—which the company’s name hints at—CO- 

CARD restructured last summer when some of the original members broke 

off to launch their own ISO. 

Under the old structure, members had two or three different kinds of voting rights. Those 

who owned “A shares,” a small number, held sway over an entity that included 120 offices. 

COCARD is now managed by a board with nine members who serve two-year terms 

(staggered like U.S. Senate seats) and meet once every two weeks. COCARD members 

vote each year at the annual meeting to elect three to four board members. In one of the 

most significant reforms under the restructuring, all COCARD members have voting rights. 

Under the earlier structure, it was difficult to convince prospective “quality” members 

to join. “When I say ‘quality,’ I mean a company doing any substantial amount of business,” 

says Brattland. “No one would want to join if they didn’t have a say or voting rights. 

That sort of loss of control is a big concern for someone doing well in our business. We 

couldn’t recruit, so we put every member in the same class. We no longer have the two 

or three separate classes of memberships, so right now is probably the best time in our 

history to join COCARD.” 

In April and May, the company experienced the two largest revenue months in its 

history. COCARD now has 70 offices, having added five in recent months, and does $3.3 

billion in processing volume annually. 

Residual Protection 

“What we’ve done with these changes is we’ve got our members more involved,” says 

General Manager Jenny Allen, who has been with COCARD for eight years. “They have 

more of a say-so in the direction of our company. It’s just been a change in attitude overall 

in the camaraderie we have within the company.” 

Besides voting rights, COCARD’s restructuring also affected residuals. The cooperative’s 

corporate office is located in Nashville, but sales offices dot the country; Brattland is based 

out of Minneapolis. The way COCARD now handles residuals is that 10 percent goes to 

run the corporate office with the rest being retained by the members. What is left over 

from the 10 percent used to cover operating expenses is redistributed to members— 

somewhat like a dividend—but the pooled residuals also have another important use. 


Dan Brattland with 

Member Christy 

Milton accepting 

her annual stock/ 

ownership certificate 

at COCARD’s 

annual meeting in 

Las Vegas 

“That 10 percent gets banked or counted toward what we call 

units,” Brattland explains. “Units are similar to stock for an LLC, so 

the 10 percent that COCARD retains actually goes into an investment 

pool. The key component is our members control their own 

residuals, their 90 percent. So if COCARD ever merges with a possible 

acquirer, let’s say someone wants to come in and purchase 

COCARD, we can sell the 10 percent operating company and not 

force members to sell their 90 percent. However, we want to give 

members the option if that opportunity happens.” 

Brattland ticks off some of the pluses for ISOs that join the cooperative. 

One is the strength in numbers they gain in being able 

to negotiate top pricing with their processors, as their three main 

ones are some pretty big names: First Data, NTC, and TransFirst. 

Another is concept-sharing or brain-storming-type sessions that 

members engage in. Brattland offers the example of a member 

hearing about a new type of POS software and wanting to learn 

more about it and then having the ability to use other members 

as a sounding board. COCARD would start up a Google group and 

members could go online to express their thoughts on the matter. 

“Had I not joined COCARD on the get-go, I wouldn’t be where I 

am today,” Brattland says. “Right out of the gate, I gained knowledge 

of how to market.” 

In fact, Brattland’s entry into the payments industry is not unlike 

numerous other entrepreneurs who have ventured into it. As 

a high school student, he ran two or three different businesses, but 

Brattland was dyslexic and didn’t see much of a future in going to 

college. So he bypassed it altogether, founding a company in the 

personnel and professional development business. The company 

took off when he joined forces with a motivational speaker named 

Brian Tracy. When he sold the business in 1999 at age 28, Brattland 

was a millionaire. 

Because he had agreed to a five-year noncompete clause, 

Brattland had to look elsewhere for his next opportunity. He attended 

an ETA function in Chicago and was recruited by a CO- 

CARD member the year it was founded. 

He found the payments industry appealing for a number of 

reasons. The fact that payments professionals don’t need to be 

licensed, that the companies themselves don’t require a lot of 

overhead, and that a business owner can acquire a portfolio that 

results in residuals all enticed him—and, Brattland believes, other 

entrepreneurs, as well. 

“Add onto that the unlimited potential,” he says. “That’s very 

attractive to the entrepreneur.” 


» Startup Stories: COCARD 

Attractive Prospect 

With COCARD’s model, the individual ISOs 

are responsible for running their own businesses. 

Brattland’s legal entity is named 

Global Bankcard Services LLC. The corporate 

office mostly provides sales support to 

the 70 offices, so if a member can’t reach a 

processor and has a question, the Nashville 

office lends a hand, sort of like back-up for 

the processor, says Allen. The corporate office 

doesn’t typically handle boarding, but if 

a member submits an application or the paperwork 

that goes with it, the corporate office 

can help out. It performs the accounting 

function and, of course, handles the residuals. 

Because of the reforms COCARD enacted 

last summer, it is now better positioned 

for a possible acquisition. At $3.3 billion 

in processing, it presents an attractive target. 

Given that members have the option 

of selling out or remaining independent, 

COCARD now offers the possibility of a 

win-win on both sides of the equation—for 

members and a prospective buyer. 

Brattland says all 70 offices are now figuratively 

“in one boat” and that all are rowing 

in the same direction. He quotes an axiom 

of Henry Ford’s, saying the cooperative is 

“moving down the path of success.” 

WORDSTOTHEWISE 

• Find your niche. One of the main lines of business for Brattland’s LLC, Global 

Bankcard Services, is a POS focused on restaurant software that he stumbled 

upon while on vacation in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. “Find your formula, find 

your niche, and focus on becoming excellent in that one area instead of trying 

to be all things to all people,” says Brattland. “Many people try to find so many 

different niches and so many different products. Many try to sell their restaurant 

and retail customers POS software and wireless terminals and spread themselves 

too thin in many different areas. Most successful businesses I’ve seen 

become great in one area, not average in many areas.” 

• Always persevere. “If you’re not getting answers you need, keep going until you 

get someone who can answer questions,” says COCARD’s Allen. “I learned that 

doing sales support. You’ll appreciate them once you find them.” 

• Don’t be secretive. “The most successful people I know in this business are not 

real secretive,” Brattland says. “Seek out advice and be very open. The least successful 

people are the ones who are very reserved, secretive. I learned you need other 

people to get to the top. Nobody makes it alone.” 

The main benefit members see of being 

a member of COCARD “is the security of 

their portfolio, knowing there is not anyone 

above who will be sold or acquired 

or will take your residuals,” Brattland says. 

“Being part of a larger entity like COCARD, 

where we have the resources and the legal 

means to make sure our residuals are 

protected and have that security, is a huge 

benefit to being a member.” TT 

John Manasso is a contributing writer 

to Transaction Trends. Reach him at 

john_manasso@yahoo.com. 

There has never been a period of 

greater technical change than the 

period the merchant acquiring 

industry is about to enter. 

EMV, NFC, mobile POS, cloud-based computing/SAAS, mobile wallets and 

offers redemption are driving upheaval at the point of sale. These 

phenomena are largely independent but are happening essentially at the 

same time for differing reasons. This cannot help but reshape acquiring, 

interjecting new competitors and shaking out existing ones. 

However, it is strategic complacency and not technical 

change that is the bigger threat. 

34 October 2012 | Transaction trends 

First Annapolis has been providing management consulting and merger and acquisition 

advisory focused exclusively on the electronic payments industry for the last 20 years. The 

merchant acquiring business is one of our deepest specialties. 

U.S. Office +1 (410) 855 8500 l Europe Office +31 (0) 20 530 0360 l info@firstannapolis.com l www.firstannapolis.com

ETA 2012 BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

OFFICERS 

PRESIDENT 

Eddie Myers 

President & COO 

PayPros 

PRESIDENT-ELECT 

Roy Banks 

CEO 

ACCELERATED Payment Technologies Inc. 

TREASURER 

Kim Fitzsimmons 

CEO 

Cynergy Data 

SECRETARY 

Debra Rossi 

Executive Vice President 

Merchant Payment Solutions 

Wells Fargo Bank 

IMMEDIATE PAST-PRESIDENT 

Rick Pylant 

Chairman & CEO 

Strategic Payments Systems Inc. 

DIRECTORS 

Todd Ablowitz 

President 

Double Diamond Group 

Robert Baldwin 

Vice Chairman 

Heartland Payment Systems Inc. 

Gregory Cohen 

Senior Vice President & General Manager 

Verifone Commerce 

Gary Goodrich 

CEO 

ProPay Inc. 

Chuck Harris 

President 

NetSpend 

Chris Hylen 

General Manager & Vice President 

Intuit 

Diana Mehochko 

President 

DMM Consulting 

Mike Passilla 

President & CEO 

Elavon 

Jeff Rosenblatt 

President 

EVO Merchant Services 

Kurt Strawhecker 

Managing Director 

The Strawhecker Group 

ADVISORY COUNCIL 

John Barrett 

SVP Sales 

First Data 

Eddie Davis 

Senior Director, Distribution Partners 

PayPal 

Will Graylin 

Joan Herbig 

CEO 

ControlScan 

Kevin Jones 

President 

SignaPay 

Tom Wimsett 

Wimsett & Company 

EX-OFFICIO 

Jason Oxman 

CEO 

Electronic Transactions Association 

Jan Estep 

President & CEO 

NACHA 

Steve Carnevale 

Group Head—U.S. Market Development/ 

Emerging Verticals and Acceptance 

Development 

MasterCard Worldwide 

Sameer Govil 

Head of Acceptance Solutions 

Global Acceptance 

Visa Inc. 

Edmond Jay 

Senior Vice President, Small Merchants 

American Express 

Gerry Wagner 

Vice President 

Discover Financial Services 

LEGAL COUNSEL 

Dave Goch 

Attorney at Law 

Webster, Chamberlain & Bean 

Advertisers index 

Company Page Phone Web 

Apriva 26 480-421-1275 www.apriva.com 

Authorize.Net C2 866-437-0491 www.authorize.net 

Elavon 27 678-731-5236 holly.lytle@elavon.com 

eProcessing Network, LLC 10 800-296-4810 www.eprocessingnetwork.com 

EVO Merchant Services 23 516-962-7898 jdefilippo@goevo.com 

First Annapolis Consulting Services 34 410-855-8500 www.firstannapolis.com 

Isis 5 www.paywithisis.com 

Merchant’s Choice Payment Solutions 9 800-327-0093 www.mcpscorp.com 

NPC, a Vantiv company 21 877-453-5933 www.npc.net 

Pax Technology C3 877-859-0099 www.pax.us 

Planet Payment 19 800-489-0174 www.planetpayment.com 

Planet Group, Inc. 1 800-979-9166 www.planetgroupinc.com 

SecureNet Payment Systems 11 888-231-0060 www.securenet.com 

SparkBase 2 216-867-0877 www.sparkbase.com 

Total Merchant Services, Inc C4 888-84-TOTAL x9411 www.upfrontandresiduals.com 

USA ePay 33 866-872-3729 www.usaepay.com 


Industry Insider 

Evolutionary Change 

CHARGE Anywhere grows from its “core brain” to bring clients the 

full spectrum of wireless payment services 


CHARGE Anywhere may have gotten its start activating 

and deactivating wireless POS terminals for 

banks and ISOs, but it’s come a long way since then. 

Eight years after this South Plainfield, New Jersey-based 

company first opened its doors, it now offers its client 

base “a whole host of services that are based around our 

core brain,” says Founder and President/CEO Paul Sabella 

of CHARGE Anywhere’s payment gateway, ComsGate. 

Specifically, CHARGE Anywhere 

offers its customers—which include 

banks, ISOs, processors, and 

even mobile networks—a PCI PA- 

DSS-certified software solution that 

works with e-commerce, POS terminals, 

smartphones (Apple, Android, 

BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile 

devices among them), QuickBooks, 

and Windows, and basically enables 

merchants to process credit card and 

ACH payments anytime, anywhere. 

The product’s smartphone capabilities 

are especially important to 

both clients’ and the company’s success 

moving forward, says Sabella. 

“In a way, it’s like we’ve gone back 

to our roots, to doing mobile wireless 

credit card transactions—only 

this time it’s not so much about POS 

devices as it is about mobile devices 

like smartphones and tablets.” 

That said, he and his crew aren’t 

going to stop supporting less-newsworthy 

technologies any time soon. 

After all, CHARGE Anywhere’s support 

of QuickBooks continues to “be a very popular product 

for us,” says Sabella. CHARGE Anywhere has “10 or so validated 

payment applications for different POS terminals as 

well as for PCs and QuickBooks” that, among other things, 

help keep banks and ISOs from losing merchant accounts 

to the likes of Intuit and other competitors. 

“The platform we use 

now help customers 

with the four key 

components of 

payment processing 

business: face-to-face, 

e-commerce, backoffice, 

and mobile.” 

—Paul Sabella, Founder and 

President/CEO 

Slew of Solutions 

There are other reasons banks, ISOs, processors, and more 

continue to approach CHARGE Anywhere long after it was 

founded: the company’s card-issuing and database-management 

products, which promise to reduce administrative costs 

and streamline reporting for merchants seeking to provide 

private-label card programs; its check and ACH services, which 

increase a merchant’s payment-processing options; and its 

hardware solutions, which include an array of mag-stripe readers, 

mobile payments peripherals, SIM cards, and terminals. 

And then there are CHARGE Anywhere’s merchant billing 

services, which Sabella considers to be a key differentiator 

between his company and its many competitors. “We 

provide end-user billing, collection, and remittance, which 

is something most other gateways don’t provide.” 

Defining Differentiators 

In addition, he says, many customers are attracted to the 

fact that the company’s “connectivity is much broader than 

most of our competitors. 

“We have connections to over 30 different platforms, 

so if you need flexibility to move transactions from one 

platform to another, or you need to move merchants from 

one platform to another, that can be a good reason to use 

CHARGE Anywhere,” says Sabella. 

Other differentiators of note relate to the company’s support 

of a wide range of devices and its ability to offer “all of 

the services that you might otherwise have to get from a 

number of different companies,” Sabella says. For instance, 

in many other cases, “if you want point-to-point encryption, 

you have to find another company to help with that. Or if 

you want e-commerce gateway services, you might have to 

go to yet another company to help with that. But you can 

get it all from us.” 

Has it always been Sabella’s goal for CHARGE Anywhere 

to become the one-stop shop that it is today “Actually, we just 

kind of evolved into it,” he admits, especially after the company 

branched out into the e-commerce and mobile markets. 

Thanks to that evolution, though, “we ended up with the 

platform you see now,” he adds, which is “one that saves its 

customers money and time by helping them with what I 

consider to be the four most important components of payment 

processing—face-to-face business, e-commerce business, 

back-office business, and mobile business.” TT 

Bryan Ochalla is a contributing writer to Transaction 

Trends. Reach him at bochalla@yahoo.com. 


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