COLUMBUS, Ga. & TOKYO - (Business Wire) TSYS announced that it would begin processing Visa-branded prepaid cards for the Japanese market in July 2009. The prepaid cards will be issued by Travel Bank Inc., a financial services company that is part of the JTB Group. Consumers can use the cards to make payments at Visa merchants when traveling overseas or to withdraw cash from Visa ATMs.
“Prepaid cards are a trusted alternative to travelers’ checks in many countries, and the number of issuers that are interested in prepaid is increasing worldwide,” said Gaylon Jowers, Jr. President of TSYS International. “We are delighted to be expanding service to the Japanese tourism industry, and we applaud Travel Bank’s decision to offer prepaid cards that are safe, flexible and can satisfy consumers’ unique needs.”
“We are confident that Japanese consumers who travel overseas will find Visa-branded prepaid cards to be a convenient way to pay when traveling abroad,” said Hitoshi Kondo, managing director of TSYS Japan. “We have been working with Travel Bank on its retail gift products for more than a year and are proud to expand our partnership to provide service to Japan’s largest travel agency group.”
TSYS is one of the world’s largest processors for branded prepaid cards. In Japan, the company offers payment-related services for debit, credit, retail gift, loyalty and prepaid products to a variety of industries through its wholly owned subsidiary, TSYS Japan.
Editor's Note: About TSYS Japan 
TSYS entered the Japanese market in 2000 by acquiring a majority share in GP Network Corporation (
GP Net),a joint venture formed by seven leading Japanese credit card companiesand Visa International. Shortly following the new partnership, a whollyowned TSYS subsidiary, TSYS Japan, was established to offer processing
alternatives to the payment card industry. GP Net owns and operates a merchant network, rapidly delivering card transaction data between merchants and card companies In 2006, TSYS Japan began providing processing services as the first and only “third-party” processor in the Japanese market. It currently offers a variety of products and services, including an innovative debit product that offers cardholders a choice of multi-currency repayment options.
TSYS Japan has added several prepaid card clientssince it began providing services for its first client in 2006. Rapid growth in this sector is expected to continue into the coming years. To learn more about TSYS Japan, please visit our Japanese website at
http://www.tsys.jp. For more information about our services in the Asia Pacific region, contact at
sales@tsys.com.
+1-706-644-3110
