Identity, Security, Payments, Biometrics, Smart Cards and Authentication News

Paying tuition by credit card could prove costly

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Using plastic to pay your college tuition may start costing you more, and it’s not just because of interest if you don’t pay off the bill the following month. At least one school, Kent State University in Ohio, is beginning to pass on to students the so-called 2.9% convenience fee that credit card companies charge merchants. The university had been absorbing the cost, but no more.

Next semester, Kent State students will be paying about $122 more per semester or, if you pay room and board by credit card, about $131 more. All of this could be a sign of things to come as universities cope with declining state dollars.

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Charge Anywhere announced that it will launch its BlackBerry payments software featuring NFC technology at the BlackBerry World event this week in Orlando, Fla.

The Charge Anywhere Mobile Payment App for BlackBerry enables business owners to accept payments on their BlackBerry smart phone or PlayBook and securely process credit and debit cards on the go. Now, businesses operating on the BlackBerry 7 OS platform can accept NFC-enabled credit and debit cards like Visa payWave or MasterCard PayPass by simply tapping their customer’s card to an NFC-enabled BlackBerry Curve or Bold device.

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Canadians may be paying for items with the tap of an NFC-enabled phone by the end of 2012.

According to Reuters, Canadian banks, credit card companies and telecoms are reaching an agreement on an NFC payment service that will capitalize on Canada’s robust contactless infrastructure.

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The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) and mobile operator Rogers Communications are partnering to launch Canada’s first joint mobile payment solution, allowing Canadians to pay with their CIBC credit card at the point-of-sale using NFC-enabled smart phones.

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Google has begun selling unlocked Galaxy Nexus smart phones in the Google Play store, the company has announced via its Commerce Blog.

The $399 NFC-enabled smart phone will come preloaded with the Google Wallet mobile payments app and $10 of free credit to get users tapping and paying at a number of participating retailers nationwide.

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On Track Innovations (OTI) has received an order for 30,000 of its NFC and contactless payment readers for deployment in the U.S.

OTI did not reveal who will receive the readers, but assured that the devices would be used to support the migration towards contactless payments and NFC in the U.S.

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If you want to use a credit card to pay your tuition at Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, be prepared to pay more. In addition to the 4.11% tuition hike, which recently went into effect, students will now have to pay an extra 2.75% surcharge if they use a credit card.

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