Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a leading global provider of payments and financial services technology solutions, today announced that it will temporarily increase PINless transaction approval limits from $50 to $100 for eligible transactions on its STAR® debit payments network. This change, implemented in response to COVID-19, will increase the number of transactions that can be completed without the need to enter a PIN on a physical device at checkout. The change takes effect on May 1, 2020.
STAR, along with the Accel® debit payments network from Fiserv, is the first debit payments network in the U.S. to announce increased limits for PINless transactions. In an environment of social distancing, low and no-touch payment alternatives and speed at checkout are critical to consumers and merchants, helping address concerns about interactions at the physical point of sale (POS).
“In a changed world of social distancing, touch-free alternatives to keying a PIN on a POS device are being sought by both consumers and merchants,” said Carol Specogna, vice president of product strategy for Card Services at Fiserv. “Raising approval limits for PINless transactions will speed the checkout process for the purchaser and everyone standing in line.”
Participating issuers are required to support this transaction for any dollar amount up to and including $100. Participating acquirers and their merchants may optionally support the increase in transaction limit up to and including $100.
All other STAR guidelines and rules, including transaction requirements, interchange and fees and exception processing, remain unchanged. PINless POS transactions are limited to POS transactions initiated at a physical device, and are only permitted in a face-to-face, card-present environment.
Some STAR-enabled merchant categories are excluded from the new limits. Excluded categories include direct marketing merchants involved in the sale of travel-related services; those involved in the business of exchanging currency, cashing checks, selling monetary instruments and wiring funds; automated fuel dispensers; and gambling transactions.
STAR provides network-level tools to manage exception processing activity, and provides the STAR Predictive Fraud Score on all transactions including PINless POS. This score can be used in combination with other fraud prevention tools to help identify and mitigate fraud.
In a world moving faster than ever before, Fiserv helps clients deliver solutions in step with the way people live and work today – financial services at the speed of life. Learn more at fiserv.com.
About Fiserv
Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV) aspires to move money and information in a way that moves the world. As a global leader in payments and financial technology, the company helps clients achieve best-in-class results through a commitment to innovation and excellence in areas including account processing and digital banking solutions; card issuer processing and network services; payments; e-commerce; merchant acquiring and processing; and the Clover® cloud-based point-of-sale solution. Fiserv is a member of the S&P 500® Index and the FORTUNE® 500, and is among the FORTUNE World’s Most Admired Companies®. Visit fiserv.com and follow on social media for more information and the latest company news.
