PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP published a paper “The New Digital Tipping Point” in late 2011. The report can be found here, and a blog post written by Chris Skinner providing insight to the post is worth a read. Many thanks to trusted colleague Richard Sanders to alerting me to this study.
PwC based the research on interviews with [...]

Whether transferring funds to a close friend or family member or remitting payment on a business invoice, we’ve all got to deal with the issues of money transfer. Payments are central to our lives and how we pay has cost implications for both the merchants we patronize and our own personal budgets.
Today I’m not only [...]

I’ve long been a fan of Amazon and as proof carry an Amazon.com-branded Visa Rewards Card in my wallet. Sure, the interest rate is a few points higher than my primary credit card, but I’m a sucker for the points. I earn one for every dollar I spend and a whopping 3 points for every dollar [...]

We live in a world that tolerates, if not celebrates, grandiose celebration. Just read the last few press releases to hit your inbox and you’ll encounter a slew of exaggerated adjectives and hyperbole. “World’s best”, “Global Leader”, “robust and scalable” are just a few examples.
So when I saw the advertisement from [...]

If you have thick skin, you’ll do just fine as a banker. I know, I walked in the moccasins for about 10 years.
As economic cycles come and go, consumer confidence and trust in large financial institutions varies, but the range of difference bounces between “low and lower”. The American Banker Magazine (nicely relaunched recently and [...]

EMV cards have been in the spotlight this year, with JP Morgan Chase, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo making announcements of portfolio migration from magnetic stripe cards to plastic that carries both mag stripe and a “chip”.
Market leading loyalty researchers, Colloquy, featured chip cards in the U.S. in their most recent issue, interviewing Randy Vanderhoof, [...]

Loyalty is Social and American Express knows it.
The credit card issuer launched its “Social Currency” campaign back in March and I have to admit that upon first review, I thought it was more show than go. Since that time, the multiple campaigns launched in market with partners including Foursquare, SCVNGR, and Facebook validate their commitment [...]

The continuing battle over the regulation of interchange has yet to hint at a winner. The battle lines are clearly drawn and each side of the debate between banks and retailers makes a sensible case, until you read the opposing view. For the average consumer, that is exactly the problem.
At first blush, many consumers may [...]

Navigating the business landscape requires more discernment and wisdom than ever. It seems to be the season of negotiation, and lobbyists from both sides of a case seem willing to take huge gambles for a chance to win big.
When the National Football League’s collective bargaining agreement expired on March 11, the locked-out players responded swiftly, [...]

Imagine you are playing a video game populated by card based loyalty programs. It wouldn’t be difficult to choose the best weapon from your arsenal to facilitate widespread destruction.
The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 was signed May 2009 and implemented over 3 phases through August 22, 2010. This would be the first [...]