Hess to accept MasterCard’s contactless payment card

Purchase, N.Y. MasterCard Worldwide announced that leading independent gasoline-convenience store retailer Hess will accept MasterCard PayPass at more than 870 company-operated Hess and Hess Express locations along the eastern United States.

In addition to traditional magnetic-stripe payment cards, Hess will accept MasterCard PayPass at checkout counters at these locations by early 2010 to provide customers with quicker transactions and greater payment convenience.

“Our customers are always looking for greater speed, security and convenience at Hess locations, and increasingly they prefer electronic forms of payment over cash,” said Rick Lawlor, VP retail sales and marketing, Hess Corp. “Accepting MasterCard PayPass means we can meet our customers' needs and continue to enhance the customer experience, which is the Hess Way.”

With MasterCard PayPass, Hess customers simply tap their PayPass-enabled MasterCard card or device on a PayPass-accepting reader at check out. Cardholders benefit from additional security because the card never leaves the customer’s hand. MasterCard PayPass also does not require customers to sign receipts for purchases under $25, further speeding up the transaction. This amount will increase to $50 as of Oct. 16.

The use of contactless payment cards continues to see exponential growth. As of second quarter 2009, MasterCard had issued nearly 61 million MasterCard PayPass cards or devices, which can be used at more than 153,000 merchant locations globally.

“Hess branded locations are the perfect environment for MasterCard PayPass because the value of faster transactions at the point of sale translates directly to busy customers who don’t want to spend time waiting in line,” said Cathleen Conforti, senior VP Global PayPass, MasterCard Worldwide. “As more customers turn to electronic payments over cash, by accepting MasterCard PayPass, Hess is taking another step to meet customer needs, and deliver great customer service and throughput at the register.”

Growing usage and acceptance of contactless payments reflects growing consumer preference for electronic payments over cash for everyday purchases. According to MasterCard research, about 94% of PayPass-using respondents to a 2008 MasterCard PayPass Benchmark Study were satisfied with their experience, and 77% of consumers who have a PayPass-enabled card use it as their primary form of payment.