What is the value of pinless debit in a post Dodd-Frank / Durbin Amendment environment? It’s too soon to tell. The intracacies of debit fees are still being worked out. Even though there is a debit fee limit on what non-exempt card issuing financial institutions can collect, there are many details still being worked out.

Merchants have yet to see the final impact on what their merchant processor will charge them, and what interchange and debit network fees for exempt card issuing banks will be. Additionally, the new federal legislation is still lin flux. Dodd-Frank created a framework for new regulations to be created. We can expect more regulations to come.

Due to significant pending legislative updates and marketplace changes affecting debit fees, including the Durbin Amendment and interchange updates, we recommend holding off on any business changes for the purpose of acquiring pinless debit until after January 1, 2012. Quite simply, the benefits of pinless debit are too cloudy for the future and merchants would probably be better off investing resources in other areas until more information is known.

If you were thinking of adding pinless debit, what are the most important reasons for you to do so?

PIN Debit Network Fee Schedule Fall 2010

With 2010 debit fee updates, signature debit and pin debit potentially can cost about the same to merchants. 70% of pin debit transactions recently qualifed for either .95% + $.235 per transaction or .80% + $.2125. With Visa signature debit interchange now at .95% and $.15 per transaction, the cash benefit of pin debit transactions has eroded.

However, it’s important to look at your payment processing price plan. Are you paying percentage merchant discount on both debit and credit transactions, or just credit?

Pin debit benefits include reduced risk. Consumers cannot initiate a chargeback on a pin-debit transaction, but they can on a signature debit.

The list below is a compilation from various sources.  If you have interchange pass-through pricing, these are listed under “interchange costs” on your merchant statement. Interchange costs are hard costs and do not include any processor fees. Please recognize that processors also have a cost of doing business, plus a profit margin, so your actual costs will be higher.

* These networks offer pin-less debit.

Accell Effective November 1, 2010

ACCEL “All Other PINless” Bill Payments Cap 0.80% + $0.25, cap $1.75

According to ATM debit news, Interlink, Star, Pulse, and NYCE have the largest the market share for PIN based POS debit transactions. The shares are Interlink 39.8%, Star 30%, Pulse 10.7%, NYCE 10.1% and rest other 15%, as of March 2008.

CenPOS will dynamically route pin debit transactions to the lowest cost network, in compliance with the rules that apply for that card. What does that mean? If a consumer card can be used on three debit networks (see logos on back of card), including for example-  Interlink, and there is a rule that Interlink must be used first if the transaction is in the state of Alabama, then the transaction is routed to the Interlink network if the transaction is in Alabama. However, if there are no applicable rules, then the transaction will be routed to the lowest cost network, such as Star, for example.

PIN Debit
Effective February 1, 2009, the following rates apply for STAR debit activity:

* The STAR PINless debit interchange rate will remain at 0.65% + $0.14, with an updated maximum rate of $1.01 per item. The associated break-even amount is $133.85.
* The STAR Petroleum interchange rate will change to 0.80% + $0.14 per item, with an updated maximum rate of $0.71 per item. The associated break-even amount is $71.25.

Changes are scheduled to the pricing of the NYCE and STAR debit networks .

NYCE Effective January 1, 2009

* The Switch Fee is increasing from $.0375 to $.05 Per Item. This impacts the following pricing categories:
* Retail transactions will be billed at 0.75% + $0.20 per transaction and there will no longer be a maximum per transaction fee.
* Quick Service Restaurant merchants will be billed at 0.55% + $0.115 per transaction with a maximum of $.55 per transaction.
* Grocery merchants will now be $0.31 per transaction.
* Returns will now be billed at $.05 per transaction.

STAR Effective February 1, 2009

* Petroleum merchants will now be charged .80% + $0.1725 per transaction with a maximum transaction fee of $0.7425.
* PINless Bill Payer transactions have a new maximum fee of $1.0425 per transaction.

Finding someone who can offer you Pin-less debit is not as easy as finding a merchant processor. Not every merchant processor offers this service.

Nor can every business offer pin-less debit. Only those who provide regulated services, including utilities, lenders and government agencies can offer it.

Online debit has increased from <20% to over 45% in recent years. This represents a huge opportunity for eligible businesses to reduce costs. Pin-less debit costs a lot less than traditional online debit transactions.

As merchants demand relief, there may be additional regulatory changes in this area.

3DMerchant.com is the web site for First Payment Systems representative Christine Speedy. First Payment Systems is an Independent Service Organization for First Data, Chase Paymentech and others, all of whom offer pin-less debit. Not all ISO’s offer pin-less debit.

If you are ready to implement pin-less debit now or you need additional information, please call us at 954-942-0483. It could save you a bundle.

Pin-less debit comes from online debit transactions that are processed via EFT networks ie STAR, PULSE etc.

In traditional retail if the merchant is maximizing the low cost debit networks, the consumer buys a product in the store and enters their pin number. The merchant is charged a flat fee. If the consumer does not enter their pin number and they sign, the merchant pays a percentage of the transaction.

Pin-less debit is the online solution to the retail pin-entered transaction. The merchant gets the benefit of the flat rate transaction, however the consumer does not enter their pin number because it is usually an Electronic Funds Transfer or Ecommerce transaction.

See also How can I get pinless debit?

New TowerGroup Research Examines Obstacles to Success of Alternate Payment
Mechanism

NEEDHAM, Mass., Sept. 11 /PRNewswire/ — In the mid-1990s, the electronic funds transfer (EFT) networks debuted PINless debit, or PINless bill payment, as a new, low-risk way for billers to collect payments from consumers. New research from TowerGroup estimates that PINless debit bill payment volume in 2007 will be at least 40 percent higher than in 2006. However, various obstacles to its adoption will cause PINless debit to remain a small percentage of overall bill payments (0.45 percent).

PINless debit allows consumers to pay bills through a remote channel by entering their debit card number without the personal identification number (PIN). Since its introduction, transaction volume has grown steadily as billers and their customers explore this alternative. However, adoption of PINless debit continues to face many challenges, including: inconsistency in industries eligible for participation; functionality; and card eligibility.

PINless debit offers benefits to billers that “split the difference” between credit cards and ACH debits. PINless debit, like credit cards, provides guaranteed funds. ACH does not. However, PINless debit does not have the higher fee structure associated with credit cards. PINless debit can be used to pay bills for which credit cards as a payment method are simply precluded, such as credit card invoices themselves. It is also an
additional method to increase overall adoption of electronic payments, a common goal for billers and suppliers in the bill payment value chain.

The new research report, titled “PINless Debit: Finally Taking Off or Headed for a Crash Landing,” by Jennifer Roth, a senior analyst in the Global Payments practice at TowerGroup, identifies the challenges related to PINless debit bill payment, the methods for overcoming these obstacles, and the durability of PINless debit as an alternate payment method.

At TowerGroup, Roth’s research focuses on electronic bill and invoice presentment and payment, including the Internet environment and otherchannels in which it can be delivered. She also examines consumer funds transfer, remittance processing, and the domestic electronic funds transfer networks supporting payment processing infrastructures.

About TowerGroup: TowerGroup is the leading research and advisory services firm focused exclusively on the financial services industry. A respected source for trusted information and advice, TowerGroup brings many of the world’s leading financial institutions, technology companies, and professional services firms a deeper understanding of the business and technology issues impacting their organizations. Headquartered near Boston in Needham, Massachusetts, and with offices in North America and Europe, TowerGroup serves a global client base.