October 27, 2011 08:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Huntington remains fee-free for debit card usage; continues to put customers first
COLUMBUS, Ohio & PURCHASE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Huntington (NASDAQ: HBAN; www.huntington.com) and MasterCard Worldwide (http://www.mastercard.com) today announced that Huntington is converting its debit card programs to MasterCard and upgrading all its customers to a Platinum Debit MasterCard®. As part of the partnership, Huntington will also implement the world-class debit and ATM transaction processing capabilities of MasterCard Integrated Processing Solutions® (IPS).
“Every time Huntington’s customers use their Debit MasterCard, they will benefit from the world-class convenience, service and value our products represent.”
In addition, as the next step in Huntington’s differentiated “Fair Play Banking” philosophy, the bank re-confirmed its commitment to remaining fee-free for debit card usage for its customers. This follows the May 2011 introduction of Huntington’s ground-breaking Asterisk-Free Checking™, which is free to open, has no monthly checking maintenance fee, no minimum balance and no check or debit card usage requirements – and it includes free ID Theft Resolution Services and 24-Hour Grace®.
“We are excited to partner with MasterCard to give all our customers a much better, value-enhanced platinum debit card making it part of our ‘Fair Play Banking’ philosophy of bringing superior value to our customers,” said Huntington CEO Steve Steinour. “This is an alliance of two strong financial brands with a shared commitment to their customers. This debit card is free to use and automatically comes with Asterisk-Free Checking, which Money Magazine cited in naming Huntington ‘Best Regional Bank – Midwest’ in their September issue, or Huntington Plus Checking. These enhanced features will be very beneficial to our customers.”
The conversion of Huntington’s debit portfolio to MasterCard will include the nearly 1.5 million consumer and business debit cards issued by the bank. Huntington customers began receiving their new Debit MasterCard® cards in early October, with all checking customers expected to have the new cards in hand by November 1.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Huntington to help enhance their debit offering and empower their customers to get the most out of their daily financial activities,” said Chris McWilton, president, U.S. Markets, MasterCard Worldwide. “Every time Huntington’s customers use their Debit MasterCard, they will benefit from the world-class convenience, service and value our products represent.”
Card benefits include an upgrade for all Huntington customers to a platinum Debit MasterCard Card and fee-free debit purchases. The new cards also will feature:
- Zero liability for unauthorized transactions
- Unsurpassed worldwide acceptance everywhere Debit MasterCard is accepted, including at ATMs
- 60-day price protection – can refund the difference on most new purchases if you buy something and see it advertised for less within the next 60 days, plus other valuable benefits from MasterCard
In addition to converting the debit card programs, Huntington will also be using MasterCard IPS to connect to Huntington’s processing platform. MasterCard IPS is a MasterCard-engineered debit and ATM processing platform that offers financial institutions a complete processing solution to create differentiated products and services and quickly expand payments portfolios across channels.
Along with other recent enhancements – 24-Hour Grace, Asterisk-Free Checking, re-furbished branches and expanded hours – Huntington’s new partnership with MasterCard is yet another step the bank is taking to put its customers first, and an important part of its overall strategy to offer more benefits and better convenience for its customers.
Huntington’s “Fair Play Banking” philosophy, which is centered on providing greater transparency and value for customers, is working and will continue to influence the bank’s future banking products and services. The conversion to MasterCard is part of this philosophy and will be supported by a multi-channel customer communication plan including email, letters and online messaging.
For more information about Huntington, 24-Hour Grace or Asterisk-Free Checking, visit https://www.huntington.com or call 1-800-480-2265.
