04.21.05 | TRANSFIRST Launches New Gift and Loyalty Card Program

TRANSFIRST and TenderCard™ form strategic agreement to introduce gift and loyalty card program for sales channels and merchant customers

DALLAS (April 21, 2005) – Dallas-based TRANSFIRST, a leading provider of transaction processing services and payment enabling technologies, and TenderCard™ a premier provider of closed loop, stored-value/gift and loyalty card solutions, today announced a strategic agreement to deliver an industry-leading stored-value/gift and loyalty card program. This new product offering will allow merchants to strengthen customer loyalty, increase traffic and enable small- to mid-size merchants to compete with larger retailers and generate revenue.

Through this agreement, TRANSFIRST will utilize TenderCard's innovative and proprietary technology platforms and information systems to provide merchant customers with a comprehensive and easy-to-use stored-value program that can increase customer visits and enhance revenue. In addition to the convenience of gift and loyalty cards, TRANSFIRST's and TenderCard's stored-value program provides the merchant with the capability of customizing the gift cards based on their own unique business, which is beneficial to a merchant's marketing initiatives and promoting customer loyalty incentives.

"With the increasing popularity of gift and loyalty card acceptance, this relationship is another example of how TRANSFIRST is providing our merchant customers with the tools they need to grow their business," said Thomas Rouse, chief executive officer of TRANSFIRST. "By adding another product dimension to our already robust product and services portfolio, TRANSFIRST is providing our customers with additional opportunities to gain a competitive edge and increase their market share. Based on our customers' goals and our business philosophy of selecting leading back-end technology providers, we chose TenderCard as our stored-value program partner. Their specialized focus and proven experience in this arena made them the ideal partner for delivering one of the industry's most innovative and comprehensive gift and loyalty card programs to our customers."
"This relationship with TRANSFIRST provides customers with one of the fastest growing and most profitable card acceptance programs in the industry today," said Donna Embry, chief operating officer of TenderCard. "Not only have we seen huge increases in consumer demand for gift cards, but we have also seen merchants reap incredible benefits such as enormous gains in repeat business. For example, 55 percent of gift card recipients require more than one trip to a merchant's location in order to spend the card's entire value, 64 percent of cardholders ultimately spend more than the card's original value, and for each consumer who purchases a gift card, 62 percent are likely to purchase from the same merchant again."

In October 2004, TRANSFIRST and TenderCard performed one of the first gift card conversions transferring more than 800 merchants to a host-based system without disturbing the merchant's terminal functionality. The gift and loyalty cards can be activated at the point-of-sale and are reloadable and reusable. This program is compatible with a merchant's existing equipment and provides the merchant with access to online transaction and terminal account reporting.

About TenderCard™
TenderCard™ provides closed loop and open loop, stored-value/gift and loyalty card solutions to merchants and resellers. The company's services are delivered via its proprietary, Web-based IMATTS™ software platform. Headquartered in Cape Cod, Mass., TenderCard hosts gift cards and rewards programs for major merchants and chains; and excels at designing programs tailored to meet even the most unique merchant's business needs.

About TRANSFIRST
A premier provider of transaction processing services and payment enabling technologies, TRANSFIRST offers a first-rate suite of products and services and customized processing programs uniquely tailored for the special business needs of financial institutions, independent sales organizations and agents and its referral and reseller partners. Through its in-depth industry knowledge, partnership strategy and innovative solutions, TRANSFIRST provides a specialized approach to transaction processing for healthcare providers, public entities, online and other non-traditional merchants, as well as brick and mortar retailers. Founded in 1995, TRANSFIRST is a market leader in strategic mergers and acquisitions, which has allowed the company to gain significant market share and world-class expertise in growing and profitable industry segments. Built on a platform of personal service, customer commitment and flexible pricing, TRANSFIRST is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has operations facilities in Louisville, Colo., Omaha, Neb., Kansas City, Kan., Newport Beach, Calif., Milwaukee, Wis. and Langhorne, Penn. TRANSFIRST was recapitalized in 2000 by GTCR Golder Rauner LLC, a leading private equity investment firm. Company wide, TRANSFIRST currently processes approximately $20 billion in annual sales volume for more than 150,000 merchants and more than 760 financial institutions. TRANSFIRST can be reached at 1-888-254-4137 or at www.TRANSFIRST.com.