MasterPass Expands Global Acceptance Footprint, Adds Merchants and Markets

Beyond the Rack, Currys, lastminute.com, Newegg and PC World Join Growing List of More than 20,000 Merchants; Expansion to Seven New Countries Planned in Q4 2013


PURCHASE, NY – With the holiday shopping season fast approaching, retailers around the world are adopting MasterPass™, the digital platform from MasterCard, to give shoppers a seamless, secure and speedy check out – regardless of where they may be and what device they may be using. Beyond the Rack, Currys, lastminute.com, Newegg and PC World now join more than 20,000 leading retailers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia that are live on MasterPass.

“We welcome Beyond the Rack, Currys, lastminute.com, Newegg, PC World and the ever-growing list of merchants that identify the MasterPass platform as a way to make the consumer shopping experience more convenient, simpler and faster,” said Vibhav Prasad, Group Head, MasterPass, at MasterCard. “MasterPass creates the cornerstone of all sorts of new shopping experiences across every channel, while delivering the security and benefits consumers enjoy today from a genuine MasterCard transaction.”

MasterPass eliminates the need for consumers to enter detailed shipping and card information to complete their online shopping at MasterPass merchant sites. Consumers can securely store MasterCard and other branded credit, debit and prepaid card information, address books and more. This simplifies the process of completing a transaction from any connected device, particularly those with smaller screens.

Current merchant partners who deployed, or are committed to deploy, within the four live markets include:

• U.S. – Newegg, Rakuten.com and Web.com. A broader list of U.S. merchants can be found at: http://www.shopnow.masterpass.com/en-us/.
• Canada – Grocery Gateway, Porter Airlines, Beyond the Rack, Newegg, eLuxe, TeamBuy, WagJag, DealFind, TasteAway, Buytopia, NCIX Computer and Web.Com.
• U.K. – Currys, PC World, See Tickets, LastMinute.com, Lillywhites, lookfantastic.com, Lookmantastic.com, Hqhair.com, BeautyExpert.co.uk, Mankind.co.uk, Allsole.com, Mybag.com, Myprotein.com, Myvitamins.com, Probikekit.com, Exantediet.com, Zavvi.com, Iwantoneofthose.com, Boots UK, House of Fraser, The Hut Group, Prezzy Box, Sports Direct and Argos.
• Australia – The Iconic, JB Hi-Fi, Oxford, Event Cinemas, Thredbo, Moonlight Cinemas, mypreorder.com, Brandsexclusive, Buyinvite, Ozsale, LivingSocial, Yknot, Sydney Opera House, City Beach, Chemist Warehouse, Ted’s Cameras, Booktopia, Zuji, Webjet and Harvey Norman.

MasterPass will also be made available to both merchant and issuing partners in seven new markets – Brazil, Belgium, France, Italy, Singapore, Sweden and Spain – by year’s end. Together, the expanded geographic and acceptance footprints will enable more consumers to discover enhanced secure shopping experiences.

As MasterPass evolves, it will support the use of various technologies – NFC, QR codes, tags and mobile devices – for in-store purchases, based on the shopping experiences a merchant wants to make available to its customers. Consumers shopping at MasterPass merchants will also have access to additional value-added services including real-time alerts, account balances, loyalty programs as well as Priceless offers and experiences.

Merchant Support for MasterPass

• “At Newegg, we view the checkout process as a core element of our customer’s overall shopping experience with us,” said Jacob Shin, Vice President of Customer Acquisition at Newegg. “We recognize that implementing advanced payment methods like MasterPass can improve our customer satisfaction and even potentially drive spend. By incorporating MasterPass, we’re able to deliver an easier and more seamless checkout experience for our customers in the U.S. and Canada.”
• Harry Parkes, Channel and Experience Director for lastminute.com UK and Ireland, commented: “Our customers primarily come to us for last minute hotel and travel bookings – 94% of European consumers cited us as the brand they most associated with last minute travel and lifestyle – and we are finding they are only becoming more spontaneous in their purchasing habits. Across devices there is a growing trend for traffic to peak from 5:30pm until 11pm as customers book hotels near them for stays that evening. Our checkout process is also evolving to compliment this which is why MasterPass was a no-brainer – we are always looking to give customers a shorter booking path which saves them more time.”
• “Beyond The Rack’s success is driven by the consumer desire to shop online – and get a great deal,” said Yona Shtern, CEO, Beyond The Rack. “Our members shop with us regularly, and a great shopping experience is key to building customer loyalty. Implementing MasterPass is one way we can do that. Now, with just a few clicks, shoes, bags and fashion are securely on their way to the shopper’s home.”

Cardholders can sign up at www.masterpass.com or by clicking on the ‘Buy with MasterPass’ button when checking out at MasterPass merchant partner sites.

About MasterCard

MasterCard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard’s products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MasterCardNews, join the discussion on the Cashless Pioneers Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.