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10/08/2009 -
With the recession forcing many consumers to tighten their purse strings, an increasing number of campaigns are focused on helping customers stretch their dollars.Recently popular solutions include prepaid credit cards - which allow consumers to have greater control over their spending, because they can only access money they already have - and credit card rewards programs.
The latest example of this can be seen in the partnership of Just Energy and DCR Strategies, which will provide Just Energy's Ontario-based gas and electricity customers with a Just Energy Prepaid MasterCard or TruCa$h card from DCR Strategies.
By using this card, consumers can earn reward points and receive access to special cardholders-only offers.
The growing popularity of these two trends - prepaid cards and rewards programs - has made it more important than ever for businesses to accept all types of credit cards.
Merchants, restaurants and other businesses should ensure that their point-of-sale terminals are capable of processing not just credit cards, but also debit cards, gift cards and prepaid cards. Merchants that do not accept these types of payments risk losing a substantial amount of customers.
As important as it is now, accepting prepaid cards will only become more crucial in the coming years - a recent study from Mercator Advisory Group found that the prepaid credit card industry will reach $362.3 billion by 2011.
