Bill's Blog

The Penguins have jumped in….and they like the water

I have always likened the ATM distributors to a bunch of penguins, and not because they are snazzy dressers.  When it comes to new products, many of them sit on the edge and wait to see who will jump in first and see if they get eaten by the polar bear.  Then when they feel it is completely safe you will have some that will adopt, and eventually it’s off and running.  Well, here at Tranax we would like to thank the penguins that were early adopters and tell the rest that the polar bears have gone home.

We are done with beta on check cashing.  We are done with beta on gift cards.  We are done with beta on bill pay.  We have success stories on all of them, and now are looking for the next batch of swimmers. 

In check cashing, we have partnered with Valid Systems, and have machine up and running their solution.  In one case the store owner is cashing over 500 checks a month using Valid and a c4000.  In Gift Cards, we have partnered with CDS, and we have machines in malls in Texas that are picking up steam, dispensing cards and making some money.  In bill pay, we have partnered with TIO, and have many kiosks and Hybrid ATMs that are in major c-store chains all over the country.

We have done it, it’s not vapor ware, it’s not a dream, it’s a reality.  Now jump in the water, and splash around, because the swimming is profitable.

PCI is there to stay

Well as I was sitting here on New Years morning looking around at the Christmas gifts and thinking about the new year, one of the things that has been on my mind is the PCI certification issue – it snuck up on some of us like Christmas. Speaking of Christmas and some of the off gifts that turn up, did you ever see the picture of the 4 dogs sitting at the table playing poker?  That is what PCI reminds me of. All of the major networks sitting around a table with a fist full of cards ready to ante up our money into the pot – a pot that no one wins. It just gets bigger and bigger.

Did PCI sneak up on you?  Well, don’t feel alone.  There are actually manufacturers out there that according to the Visa website have let PCI certification sneak up on them (I guess they were too busy hanging that singing fish that uncle Farley gave them). Check your manufacturer. Make them be in compliance. 

By the way, Tranax is approved through September 2008 in case you are checking.