Beth Cox
InternetNews Reporter
The Pathways Group Inc.
said it signed a letter of intent with LinkOpp Marketing
Inc., a privately held Internet community, to provide a set of “turn-key”
Smart Card solutions for LinkOpp’s membership.
These solutions include the adaptation of Pathways’ existing Smart Card
technology and provision of Smart Cards, terminals and other PC related
read/write devices, card fulfillment, transaction processing and related
backroom support services.
Under the terms outlined in the letter of intent, Hermosa Beach, CA-based LinkOpp said it anticipates purchasing up
to 1.5 million Smart Cards from Pathways, which will be issued to the LinkOpp
membership as part of the initial rollout during the first quarter of 1999.
LinkOpp offers corporate Web hosting, retailing and membership based goods and
services.
These cards will be programmed with Pathways’ proprietary multi-purse
technology and work in conjunction with a variety of Pathways’ merchant
terminals. These solutions also include home user and eTeller software, which
will be used by LinkOpp along with other offerings to its membership.
The initial rollout is projected to include a large mix of Smart Card and
Magnetic-Stripe Card compliant hybrid merchant terminals and several other PC
compliant Smart Card read/write devices including PCMCIA technology and
keyboards. It is anticipated that Pathways will also be providing credit and
debit card adjudication, national online and telephone technical support as
well as detailed management, member and merchant tracking and reporting of
transactions.
LinkOpp management said it seeks to issue an additional 10 million cards over
the next 18 months.
LinkOpp and Pathways said they are “believed to be the first cooperating
companies to introduce Smart Card transaction processing, with affinity
benefits,” which will provide discounts and loyalty awards both in the LinkOpp
retail merchant setting as well as to those subscribing merchants who are part
of the LinkOpp network of Internet merchants.
Carey Daly, president and CEO of Pathways said: “We are very pleased to be
adapting our secure technology to the fast paced marketplace of Internet e-
commerce. Our proprietary Smart Card technology and our established electronic
transaction processing abilities will guarantee a quick, efficient and
successful rollout of this venture.”
