WAYCROSS, Ga. -- Flash Foods Inc. has entered into an agreement with National Payment Card LLC (NPC), an electronic funds payment service bureau that interfaces with point-of-sale (POS) systems, to introduce an ACH payment system to the consumer that will help take their installed loyalty system to the next level.
NPC and Flash Foods will be working closely with Pinnacle Corp. to integrate POS systems and improve functionality. The solution will provide additional rewards for consumers and simplicity in the processing of loyalty and payment, the companies [image-nocss] said.
Referred to as LoyalDebit, the NPC-Flash Foods agreement will allow Flash Foods to introduce ACH-based payments by leveraging its existing loyalty card as a payment card, with no additional re-issuance or card distribution costs.
Working with NPC and Pinnacle, Flash Foods will be able to leverage the strength of their existing loyalty program by having its cardholders enroll their loyalty card as a payment card on Flash Foods' website. Using Pinnacle's POS LoyalDebit functionality, NPC has developed a Network Interface Module (NIM) for the Pinnacle Palm POS that does not require additional hardware and leverages Flash Foods' infrastructure for direct broadband connectivity, reducing transaction costs even further.
"Flash Foods continues to seek out technology that reduces costs while at the same time improving customer service," said Jenny Bullard, CIO for Waycross, Ga.-based Flash Foods. "Our new partnership with National Payment Card utilizing Pinnacle's LoyalDebit software allows us to move our Rewards in a Flash' loyalty program to a higher level. This technology gives us the ability to offer more value to our customers as well as helping us to control operational costs by reducing credit/debit card processing fees."
Peter Guidi, vice president of sales for NPC, said, The ability to extend the Flash Foods brand into payments by leveraging their loyalty card adds significant ROI to the entire system.
Retailers at all levels are concerned about the high cost of credit card processing and its impact on their profitability. As a result of this agreement, Flash Foods will introduce a market driven, low-cost solution that challenges the traditional payment system, it said. The addition of Flash Foods to the NPC systems is another step forward in the creation of a true market driven competitive payment system that will return control of payments to the retailer, said the companies.
NPC, Boca Raton, Fla., is a marketer of ACH card-based payment systems. Its primary product is the Payment Card, a retailer-branded program that provides consumers access to funds in their checking accounts so they can pay for goods or services. The Payment Card is not a credit or debit card that is linked through the national banking networks; it utilizes a user ID for consumer authentication and is processed through the NPC ACH Payment Card network. A Payment Card can be a loyalty card, a membership card or driver's license. NPC is a member of the EFT Network, which is a part of the Electronic Check Council of NACHA, the rulemaking body for all electronic funds transfers made through the ACH.
Arlington, Texas-based Pinnacle supplies automation technology to the convenience store and petroleum industries.
Flash Foods, which operates a chain of 180 convenience stores in Georgia and northern Florida, is part of holding company The Jones Co., which also owns Fuel South Inc., Distribution South and Walker Jones Dealership.
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