Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Swipe This Card! GoPayment and mophie Credit Card Reader Available for iPhone 4


All-in-one Mobile Payment Solution Gets Small Businesses Paid Fast

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Accepting credit card payments just got easier and faster for small businesses that use an iPhone 4.
http://www.intuit.com
“The all-in-one solution helps me be more competitive and not miss out on potential sales.”
The all-in-one credit card reader and processing solution from Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) and mophie is now available for small businesses that use an iPhone 4. The solution combines two best-in-breed mobile payment offerings – Intuit’s GoPayment app and merchant account and mophie’s credit card reader. The combined package gives small businesses everything they need to get paid fast on the latest iPhone with no arbitrary transaction limits that delay them from getting their money.
GoPayment has been helping small businesses get paid quickly for nearly two years and was one of the first mobile payment services on the market. Since then, it has processed more than $70 million in transaction volume and continues to be a leader in the mobile payments space in both growth and innovation.
With GoPayment and the mophie credit card reader, payments are processed just seconds after a business owner swipes a credit card through the form-fitting mophie card reader. To get up and running quickly, there is a quick-to-activate merchant account that lets business owners start processing credit cards in as few as 15 minutes. GoPayment also provides 24 x 7 live customer support for help if needed.
“GoPayment and the mophie card reader are together one more weapon in my arsenal – and that is big for my tiny business,” said Andrew Huff, owner of LuLu Redstar, a jewelry design business in Milton, Ga. “The all-in-one solution helps me be more competitive and not miss out on potential sales.
“I was at an antique show recently and a customer gave me his Amex card to buy a piece of jewelry. Thankfully I didn’t have to tell him to go to the ATM like I used to. When I swiped his card, the payment went through immediately. There’s a lot of competition at these shows, and giving people the option to pay by credit card really helps.”
GoPayment: Offers the Features Small Businesses Need Most
GoPayment offers the features that small businesses want in a mobile payment app. These features let them create and sell from a list of frequently sold items, apply sales tax, and send customized receipts via text and e-mail with a map of where the transaction occurred.
GoPayment is also compatible with QuickBooks® -- both PC and Mac versions -- to help the more than four million small businesses that use QuickBooks save time by keeping their financial files up to date.
The solution protects customer data throughout the payment process. Sensitive credit card data is never stored on the phone. In addition, card data is double encrypted – once via the mophie marketplace card reader and a second time via the GoPayment app.
mophie marketplace: Design-focused Hardware Innovation
mophie is well-known for its award-winning design and innovation of iPhone accessories, such as the juice pack line of rechargeable external battery cases, which have virtually doubled the battery life of more than one million iPhones. mophie’s marketplace is the only design-focused hardware innovation that adds layers of intelligence to enable payments on the go. The form-fitting, lightweight design is paired with instant card-encryption capabilities, ensuring that all data is secure the moment the card is swiped. In addition, the marketplace protects iPhones from bumps and scratches.
Pricing and Availability
GoPayment and the mophie credit card reader are now available for the iPhone 4 for $179.95 on GoPayment.com, mophie.com, Amazon.com and ATT.com. The mophie card reader works exclusively with the GoPayment App, which is available for free from the App Store at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/intuit-gopayment/id324389392?mt=8.
GoPayment, including the Intuit merchant account, offers competitive pricing at $12.95 a month, a 30-cent per transaction fees and the following discount rates:
  • 1.7 percent for card swiped.
  • 2.7 percent for key entered.
  • 3.7 percent for non-qualified transactions, such as corporate cards.
There are no long-term contracts, cancellation, gateway or set-up fees, and one account can enable up to 50 users.
About Intuit Inc.
Intuit Inc. is a leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses; financial institutions, including banks and credit unions; consumers and accounting professionals. Its flagship products and services, including QuickBooks®, Quicken® and TurboTax®, simplify small business management, payment and payroll processing, personal finance, and tax preparation and filing. ProSeries® and Lacerte® are Intuit's leading tax preparation offerings for professional accountants. Intuit Financial Services helps banks and credit unions grow by providing on-demand solutions and services that make it easier for consumers and businesses to manage their money.
Founded in 1983, Intuit had annual revenue of $3.5 billion in its fiscal year 2010. The company has approximately 7,700 employees with major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and other locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.
About mophie
mophie is a California-based, award-winning designer and manufacturer of mobile intelligent devices and accessories. It is widely recognized and highly acclaimed for its creative designs and innovative solutions. mophie was the proud developer of the juice pack, first ever "Works With iPhone" portable battery case certified by Apple Inc. All mophie’s products are developed to address real consumer and business needs and are seamless integrations of industrial, electronic, software and artistic designs. Its products are available in Apple Stores, Best Buy, AT&T stores and onwww.mophie.com. Follow mophie on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mophielovesyou.
Intuit, the Intuit logo, and QuickBooks, among others, are registered trademarks and/or registered service marks of Intuit Inc. in the United States and other countries.

Contacts

Intuit Contacts:
Intuit Inc.
Sharna Brockett, 650-944-3856
sharna_brockett@intuit.com
or
Access Communications
Jen Garcia, 415-844-6244
jgarcia@accesspr.com
or
mophie Contact:
Erica McCarthy, 619-234-0345
mophie@formulapr.com
Permalink: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110105005512/en/Swipe-Card%21-GoPayment-mophie-Credit-Card-Reader

Get paid on the spot

Accept credit cards on your mobile phone and get paid as soon as the job is done. Start now in 3 easy steps.

  • Sign up for an Intuit Merchant Account.
  • Download the GoPayment mobile app.
  • Accept credit cards on your phone, anytime, anywhere!
Start for FREE
Low Rates. No Cancellation Fees. Transaction Fees Apply.

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SpendingPulse December 2010 Retail Report: Most Categories Record Robust December Growth, Building on November’s Momentum


PURCHASE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MasterCard Advisors:

SpendingPulse™
 
Data Source:
A macroeconomic indicator, SpendingPulse reports on national retail and services sales and is based on aggregate sales activity in the MasterCard payments network, coupled with survey-based estimates for certain other payment forms, such as cash and check. MasterCard SpendingPulse does not represent MasterCard financial performance. SpendingPulse is provided by MasterCard Advisors, the professional services arm of MasterCard Worldwide.
MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, a macroeconomic report tracking national retail and services sales, today provided summary results for performance of specific U.S. retail industries in December, 2010. Report shows that growth in December sales was robust across many retail categories, further building on November’s positive results, with some performing at better than pre-recession levels
Michael McNamara, Vice President, Research and Analysis for MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, observes, “With many retail industry sectors recording strong growth in December, we are now seeing positive momentum that is more substantial than the short surge in spending we saw in Q1 2010. This momentum was first detected during the back-to-school season, accelerating further in November. In December, some sectors performed at better than 2007 spending levels. Those include Total Apparel, Automotive Parts and Services, eCommerce and Grocery. Sectors that have lagged in performance compared to pre-recession levels include Women’s Apparel, Electronics, Furniture and Furnishings, Jewelry and Luxury.”
Regarding the impact of the East Coast blizzard which fell on December 26, McNamara commented, “For overall retail, the day after Christmas is one of December’s lower ranked days in terms of spending levels, even though it is one of the biggest in terms of foot traffic. In 2009 for example when the day after Christmas fell on a Saturday, it represented 2.5% of all of December’s sales. The last time the day after Christmas was on a Sunday was in 2004, and that represented about 2% of total retail sales ex-auto for December. That said the day after Christmas is more important to specific sectors such as Men’s Apparel, Department Stores and Luxury.”
In terms of sector specifics, December 2010 had more positive than negative stories, owing to the generally strong holiday season:
Year-over-year Total Apparel sales in December saw the third consecutive monthly increase. At 10.9% this was the year’s most vigorous monthly year-over-year growth rate, and the highest posting since March 2007. All of Apparel’s sub-sectors posted strong increases with the Family and Children’s categories helping to drive robust year-over-year growth within the sector. In 2010, Total Apparel has enjoyed 9 out of 12 months of year-over-year gains. We should note however that the December 2009 comparisons were not very difficult.
The Electronics and Appliances sector posted a year-over-year increase of 1.2% in December, following two consecutive months of year-over-year declines. The Consumer Electronics sub-category was up 1.5% year-over-year for December, though overall dollar spending levels suffered due to some decline in pricing power on the larger ticket items such as TVs. The Appliance sub-category declined by 1.3%.
Continuing to gain share at a steady rate, the eCommerce channel grew 17.6% year over year in December. This was the highest year-over-year increase since December 2007. Much of the growth was driven by the online Total Apparel sub-category, which grew 28.2% year over year, and even stronger showings in online sales of Family and Children’s clothing, and Footwear. Online sales of Electronics were up a solid 14%, while online Jewelry was up 5.9%.
December is a key month for sales in the Jewelry sector, and this month, Jewelry sales posted a double digit growth rate year over year, increasing 10.4%. This was the first time since June 2010 that the sector enjoyed double digit growth, and in December, the increase was driven primarily by strong performance by independent jewelers as well as the high-tier segment.
Luxury ex-Jewelry, which measures sales at high-end restaurants, food stores, department stores and general apparel categories, was up 8.5% year over year, posting the strongest results since May 2010.
About MasterCard Advisors
MasterCard Advisors provides payments consulting, information, analytics, and customized services to financial institutions and their merchant partners worldwide. Addressing complex challenges in strategy, marketing, risk, and operations, MasterCard Advisors helps clients maximize the value of their payments businesses. As the professional services arm of MasterCard Worldwide, MasterCard Advisors is uniquely qualified to provide clients with insights and solutions that drive tangible impact and financial gain. For more information, go to www.mastercardadvisors.com
About MasterCard Worldwide
As a leading global payments company, MasterCard Worldwide prides itself on being at the heart of commerce, helping to make life easier and more efficient for everyone, everywhere. MasterCard serves as a franchisor, processor and advisor to the payments industry, and makes commerce happen by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, governments, businesses, merchants, and cardholders worldwide. In 2009, $2.5 trillion in gross dollar volume was generated on its products by consumers around the world. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network – the fastest payment processing network in the world – MasterCard processes over 22 billion transactions each year, has the capacity to handle 140 million transactions per hour, with an average network response time of 140 milliseconds and with 99.99 percent reliability. MasterCard advances global commerce through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro®, and Cirrus®; its suite of core products such as credit, debit, and prepaid; and its innovative platforms and functionalities, such as MasterCard PayPass™ and MasterCard inControl™. MasterCard serves consumers, governments, and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information, please visit us at www.mastercard.com. Follow us on Twitter: @mastercardnews.

Contacts

Meir Kahtan Public Relations, LLC
Meir Kahtan, +1-212-575-8188
mkahtan@rcn.com
or
MasterCard Worldwide
Naya Larsson, +1-914-249-3916
naya_larsson@mastercard.com
Permalink: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110105005676/en/SpendingPulse-December-2010-Retail-Report-Categories-Record





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SafetyPay Partners With One of Brazil’s Largest Banks, Banrisul


Partnership extends online payment solution to more than three million account holders

MIAMI BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SafetyPay™, a secure payment facilitator and clearinghouse benefiting online shoppers, online merchants and banks worldwide, today announced a partnership with Brazil-based Banrisul, that will provide the bank’s three million customers with access to exclusive promotions and the ability to pay with their own currency when shopping with worldwide merchants online. According to Miami-Dade County’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Brazil was Miami’s top trade partner in 2009, with total trade reaching $11.07 billion.
http://www.safetypay.com
“Many merchants in Latin America have fraud filters in place that prevent credit card payments. As a result, credit card penetration in Brazil is quite low. Our solution provides Banrisul’s customers with an alternate and secure payment method that improves their online shopping experience.”
“Our partnership with Banrisul will enable its customers to more securely conduct local and cross-border transactions,” said Manuel Montero, founder and chief executive officer of SafetyPay. “Many merchants in Latin America have fraud filters in place that prevent credit card payments. As a result, credit card penetration in Brazil is quite low. Our solution provides Banrisul’s customers with an alternate and secure payment method that improves their online shopping experience.”
Banrisul’s partnership with SafetyPay supports the bank’s role as a competitive and innovative financial institution, offering customers the safest way to shop online -- both locally and internationally.
To date, SafetyPay has partnered and integrated with 23 financial institutions worldwide (with a combined customer base of 90 million). In November, SafetyPay received an International Business Leadership Award from the Miami Chamber of Commerce for their innovative payment solution, which represents a new revenue stream for financial institutions as it enables them to promote exclusive offers to their customers.
About Banrisul
Banrisul operates throughout Brazil, offering a wide variety of financial products and services, including credit cards, insurance, private pension groups, consortia and managing resources of third parties. Its lending operations cover individuals and corporations, as well as real estate finance and rural development, export and import operations and long-term credit contracts. For more information, please visit www.banrisul.com.br.
About SafetyPay
SafetyPay™ is a safe and secure e-payment solution that enables online banking customers to make Internet purchases from merchants worldwide and pay directly through their bank account. Customers are never required to disclose any financial information to the merchants or to SafetyPay, and all payment transactions are done from within the bank’s online environment.

Contacts

For SafetyPay
Joy Harper, 678-781-7208
Permalink: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110105005138/en/SafetyPay-Partners-Brazil%E2%80%99s-Largest-Banks-Banrisul



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mopay Expects Major Momentum


mopay Anticipates Monumental Growth for Mobile Payments Industry in 2011

Leading provider expects significant industry expansion in North America and increased industry consolidation
MUNICH & PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--mopay, a global leader in innovative payment solutions for online merchants, today announced that it forecasts major momentum and movement in the global mobile payments industry in 2011. mopay has identified several trends to watch in 2011 that will have a significant impact on the burgeoning mobile payments industry, including massive growth of the market in North America, increased consolidation and lower transaction costs.
http://www.mopay.com/
“This past year was a boom year for the mobile payments industry around the globe. With the foundational work that occurred in 2010 past us, 2011 is shaping up to be the year that mobile payments see widespread penetration around the globe”
In 2011, mopay estimates the following industry trends will occur:
  • Mobile payments will become a significant method to pay for goods and services online. AT&T and Verizon Wireless have recently announced they will open their networks, signaling a major opportunity for mobile payment penetration in the U.S. In 2011, mopay predicts that major merchants, particularly ecommerce merchants, will add mobile as means of payment and it will become ubiquitous before the 2011 holiday season.
  • 2011 will be known as the year of major investments and consolidation in the global mobile payments industry. In 2010, there was much discussion on this topic as major venture capital deals closed. In 2011, the opportunity for increased consolidation is plentiful, with major industry players – such as credit card issuers, handset manufacturers, telecommunications companies and blue-chip Internet heavyweights – likely to acquire top mobile payment providers.
  • New forms of currency will continue to grow. Facebook Credits launched in 2010 and have already emerged as a meaningful form of currency. Many players in the payment space have introduced their own virtual currency in recent months, but it’s questionable if all of them make sense and will survive. In 2011, major entertainment and social networking providers will continue to introduce their individual forms of currency or branded checkout system.
  • Mobile payments will officially expand beyond the digital realm and into the physical goods environment across the globe. Almost all mobile payment providers are currently focusing their products and deals on virtual and digital goods merchants. This is about to change; mopay already supports the purchase of physical goods through its platform in 28+ countries, and expects this number to go up significantly in 2011 as the acceptance of mobile payments will grow rapidly. Korea and Japan, where mobile payments for physical goods is commonplace, are good examples of how mopay sees the payment future in the physical goods space.
  • Lower transaction costs will be available from all major U.S. carriers. A virtual good has a margin which still makes high transaction costs commercially feasible. Digital goods, often bounded with royalties and concessions, require much lower transaction fees; the usually high production cost and thus low margin of physical goods almost always rules out high transaction fees. The mobile payments industry has joined forces with mobile network operators globally to find a remedy. Although mobile payment transactions will remain more expensive than traditional credit card transactions, 2011 will see major movement towards the new global transaction cost benchmark of 10-15 percent.
“This past year was a boom year for the mobile payments industry around the globe. With the foundational work that occurred in 2010 past us, 2011 is shaping up to be the year that mobile payments see widespread penetration around the globe,” said Kolja Reiss, managing director of mopay, Inc. “At mopay, we have been thrilled to see that the leadership we built in Europe and Asia is resonating in North America; U.S. consumers and merchants alike are ready for mobile payments and we predict that 2011 will be a true turning point for the industry.”
About mopay
mopay is a global leader in innovative payment solutions for online merchants. mopay’s core platform enables merchants of virtual, digital and physical goods to bill charges directly to consumers’ cell phone and land line accounts. mopay operates in more than 80 countries across the globe, reaching more than 3.3 billion consumers. The company has a blue-chip customer base including major brands such as Bigpoint, Gameforge, Innogames, Sulake and Travian. mopay, part of the MindMatics group, has more than 100 employees at locations in Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom and the United States. For more information, visit www.mopay-inc.com.

Contacts

PAN Communications
Lisa Astor, 978-474-1900
mopay@pancomm.com
Permalink: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110105005380/en/mopay-Anticipates-Monumental-Growth-Mobile-Payments-Industry



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Thales Helps North Dallas Bank and Trust Co. Protect Customer PINs

Using Thales HSMs, North Dallas Bank and Trust Co. improves service while lowering costs and protecting PINs
WESTON, Fla. & CAMBRIDGE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Thales, leader in information systems and communications security, announces that North Dallas Bank & Trust Co. chose Thales hardware security modules (HSMs) to help it move from outsourced PIN verification for ATM and debit transactions. With secure, in-house PIN verification, the bank has enhanced its service to customers with real-time balances while lowering its transaction costs.
“Looking at customer service, security, and costs, it made sense to take control of ATM and debit transactions. With Thales HSMs providing security, our customer’s PINs have never been safer.”
http://www.thalesgroup.com/iss“Customers want the balance they see online and on ATM receipts to reflect all their transactions, but with outsourced processing, customers had to wait,” says Greg Niemeyer, Executive Vice President of marketing and operations for North Dallas Bank. “Looking at customer service, security, and costs, it made sense to take control of ATM and debit transactions. With Thales HSMs providing security, our customer’s PINs have never been safer.”
Prior to implementing in-house PIN verification, North Dallas Bank outsourced its ATM and debit transaction verification processing to a larger bank. Using an HSM-protected process, the larger bank drove PIN verification and sent North Dallas Bank a transaction file detailing activity. To update customer account balances, North Dallas Bank regularly posted the file to its internal systems. Expensive for the bank, outsourced processing also inconvenienced customers because it often took several hours for balances to reflect recent ATM and debit transactions.
Using S1 Postilion software for processing and the Thales HSM 8000 to provide a secure processing environment, North Dallas Bank now verifies its customers’ PINs in-house. The bank is enjoying a number of benefits compared with outsourced transaction verification. Each transaction posts quickly, increasing customer satisfaction by providing easy access to more accurate balance information. Because it controls its customers’ sensitive PIN information, North Dallas Bank is more confident that the process and its reputation are secure. As an added benefit, the bank has seen transaction processing costs go down significantly, helping to make ATM and debit services more profitable.
“Add up the benefits of increased customer satisfaction and lower processing costs,” notes Niemeyer. “There’s no question that moving to in-house PIN processing with Thales HSMs and our S1 solution was a great decision. By using Thales HSMs, we’re protecting our customers’ PINs with the same unwavering diligence we apply to safeguarding their deposits.”
“Regulators demand that banks provide hardware-based protection for PINs,” says Franck Greverie, Vice President for the information technology security activities of Thales. “However, North Dallas Bank recognized that PIN protection is not just a compliance question. The bank is safeguarding its excellent reputation along with customer trust. We are pleased that North Dallas Bank chose Thales HSMs to secure in-house PIN verification, and we look forward to supporting its efforts to provide its customers with the best in service and security long into the future.”
Visit our digital media centres www.paymentssecurity.com and www.keymanagementinsights.com for industry issues and comment.
North Dallas Bank & Trust Co.
North Dallas Bank & Trust Co., established in 1961, has more than $1 billion in assets and is a locally owned bank with five locations in the Dallas, Texas, area. Learn more at www.ndbt.com.
Notes to editors
The Information Technology Security activities of Thales
Thales is a leading global provider of data encryption solutions to the financial services, high technology manufacturing, government and technology sectors. With a 40-year track record of protecting corporate and government information, Thales solutions are used by four of the five largest energy and aerospace companies, 22 NATO countries, and they secure more than 70 percent of worldwide payment transactions. Thales e-Security has offices in France, Hong Kong, Norway, United States and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.thalesgroup.com/iss.
About Thales
Thales is a global technology leader for the Defence & Security and the Aerospace & Transport markets. In 2009 the company generated revenues of €12.9 billion, with 68,000 employees in 50 countries. With its 22,500 engineers and researchers Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional international footprint, with operations around the world working with customers as local partners. www.thalesgroup.com

Contacts

Thales e-Security
Liz Harris, +44 (0)1223 723612
liz.harris@thales-esecurity.com
Permalink: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110105005417/en/Thales-Helps-North-Dallas-Bank-Trust-Protect





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Discover® U.S. Spending MonitorSM Falls 4.3 Points in December


Significant Increase in Holiday Spending Year-Over-Year, but Consumer Confidence Declines

RIVERWOODS, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--After reaching a 3-year high in November, consumer confidence slid in December, as more Americans rated current economic conditions and the state of their personal finances as poor, according to the Discover U.S. Spending Monitor.

“We typically see a big drop in spending intentions for the month of January, as the holidays conclude and consumers tighten their belts”
The Monitor, a poll of 8,200 consumers tracking confidence and spending intentions on a daily basis, gave back the gains it made in November, dropping 4.3 points to 87.5. Fifty-six percent of consumers currently rate the economy as poor, a 2–point increase from November. Only 29 percent of consumers feel economic conditions are getting better, down 2 points from November.
Consumers also soured on their personal finances in December. Twenty-six percent, the most since December 2009, rated their finances as poor, up 3 points from November. More consumers also feel their finances are getting worse; 46 percent say their finances are getting worse, up a point from the previous month.
While views of current economic conditions and personal finances this month drove the index downward, some of that movement can be explained by January spending intentions. Thirty-three percent of consumers say they expect to spend less in January, compared to 18.5 percent who said so in November, as the country headed into the holiday spending season.
“We typically see a big drop in spending intentions for the month of January, as the holidays conclude and consumers tighten their belts,” said Julie Loeger, senior vice president of brand and product management for Discover. “However, there’s no question that views on the state of the economy soured a bit this month.”
Holiday Spending Intentions up 4 Points from a Year Ago, but High Gas Prices May Have Prevented Bigger Increase
In December 2009, only 10 percent of consumers were planning to spend more on holiday gifts than the previous year. In 2010, this number rose to 14 percent. Furthermore, only 57 percent planned on spending less on holiday gifts this year, 7 points lower than in 2009.
But high gas prices may have prevented more consumers from increasing their holiday spending. In polling done over the final two weeks of December, the Monitor reported that 47 percent of consumers spent less on gifts this year due to the high cost of gasoline. Forty-three percent said high gas prices did not affect how much they spent on gifts.
Post-Holiday Spending: Consumers Planning Discretionary Cutbacks
Heading into January, more consumers are planning to trim their discretionary expenses, not unexpected, as the Monitor reported similar increases during this time since its inception three years ago.
But compared to a year ago, fewer consumers are planning to cut discretionary spending heading into January in the following areas:
  • Going out to dinner or the movies: 52 percent plan to spend less next month, one point lower than 2009.
  • Home improvements: 50 percent plan to spend less, down 3 points from 2009.
  • Vacation or gym membership: 48 percent plan to spend less, down 3 points from 2009
The fact that fewer consumers are planning to trim their discretionary spending compared to a year ago is in contrast to the significant post-holiday spending cuts the Monitor reported that consumers made in 2008 and 2009.
Only 46% Have Money Left Over After Paying Monthly Bills
Holiday spending may have played a role in the drop in the number of consumers having money left over after paying monthly bills. In December, just 46 percent reported having money left over, 3 points lower than November. December marked the 21st consecutive month this number has been below 50 percent.
Seventy-three percent of those who do have money left over after paying monthly bills planned on having the same or more money left over than the previous month, a 7-point drop that more than likely is attributed to holiday spending. The Monitor reported a similar drop in 2009.
However, 42 percent of consumers are expecting an income shortfall in the month ahead, an increase of 2 points from the previous month and the same number reported in December 2009.
For more Discover U.S. Spending Monitor survey data, charts and information, please visit www.discoverfinancial.com/surveys/spending.shtml.
About Discover U.S. Spending Monitor
The Discover® U.S. Spending MonitorSM is a monthly index of consumer spending intentions and capacity that is based on interviews with a random sample of 8,200 U.S. adults conducted at a rate of 275 per night. In addition to spending, the survey asks consumers their opinions on the U.S. economy and their personal finances. The Monitor began in May 2007 with a base index of 100. Surveys are conducted by Rasmussen Reports, an independent survey research firm (www.rasmussenreports.com).
About Discover
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company operates the Discover card, America's cash rewards pioneer, and offers personal and student loans, online savings accounts, certificates of deposit and money market accounts through its Discover Bank subsidiary. Its payment businesses consist of Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation's leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance in more than 185 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.discoverfinancial.com.

Contacts

Discover
Matthew Towson, 224-405-5649
matthewtowson@discover.com
Permalink: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110105005137/en/Discover%C2%AE-U.S.-Spending-MonitorSM-Falls-4.3-Points



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