Magazine for the professional car and truck rental industry.
Issue link: https://autorentalnews.epubxp.com/i/236613
BLUEBIRD TO IMPLEMENT CREDIT CARD PROCESSING SOLUTION WITH EMV-ENABLED CARDS LOOKING TO COME to the U.S. market, Bluebird Auto Rental Systems will help rental companies implement this new credit card processing system. Named for developers Europay, Mastercard and Visa, EMV-enabled cards contain an embedded microprocessor chip that encodes different transaction data for each purchase. After inserting the card into a hand-held machine and entering the PIN code, the embedded chip verifes the code to complete the purchase. Becoming a standard in Europe and Asia, EMV (or "Chip and PIN") transactions help reduce the practice of "skimming" credit card information by identity thieves — since the purchase information is encoded differently every time the card is used. In the U.K., Bluebird has already developed an interface with payment processor TNSPay, where EMV transactions are commonplace. "Bluebird is ready to deploy solutions for the U.S. market as EMV is rolled out to merchants and consumers," said Bluebird President Angela Margolit. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CREDIT CARD PROCESSING SOLUTIONS OR OTHER BLUEBIRD PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, VISIT WWW.BARSNET.COM. LOCK 'N TRACK: A COSTEFFECTIVE SYSTEM FOR CAR SHARING Metavera, which offers technology solutions for car-sharing systems, has announced the launch of its lock 'n track system — after testing with Car Next Door peer-to-peer car sharing in Australia. Featuring a vehicle-mounted lock box and plug-in cellular GPS, this easy-to-use and cost-effective system provides car-sharing companies with control over reservations, car location and key access. To get started, car-share members use Metavera's car-sharing solution, Autovera, to make a reservation and receive a one-time access PIN code. Once at the car, the customer uses the PIN code to access the key in the lock box. To return the vehicle, the customer is sent another PIN code to open the lock box and safely return the key. No specialized equipment or access cards are needed. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.METAVERA.COM. EARN FREE GAS WITH FUELCIRCLE'S REWARD PROGRAM W ith FuelCircle's rewards program, a rental company can provide its customers the opportunity to earn free gas. For example, a customer could earn $10 in free FuelCircle gasoline on his or her third car rental. And the FuelCircle account is reloadable, too, giving customers more incentive to stay loyal with the participating rental company. Or FuelCircle points can be a great incentive to award employees for their job performance. FuelCircle's website features an easy step-by-step process to earn more points and the ability to track rewards activity. FuelCircle certif cates can be distributed into individual FuelCircle member accounts, via email, printed or given out as reward codes for prepackaged products. Similar to a gasoline gift card, the FuelCircle card — which can be reloaded for additional usage — is accepted at nearly 40,000 gasoline retail locations at fuel brands such as Chevron, Texaco, Exxon, Mobil, BP and Sunoco. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FUELCIRCLE'S POINT PROGRAM, CONTACT PATRICK.FINNIGAN@FUELCIRCLE.COM. ZIPKORD SOLUTIONS PROVIDES COMPACT MOBILE ACCESSORIES To help with the transition to mobile technology, ZipKord Solutions provides customers with compact mobile accessories. With a vision of a tangle-free world, ZipKord offers retractable cables, adaptors and chargers to maintain a compact size. Featuring a dual USB for car and wall usage, the accessories come with a lifetime warranty and can be used for iPads, iPhones, Androids and BlackBerries. "We are fully Apple-approved and work closely with our partners to ensure that they can provide solutions to their customers with confdence," says ZipKord, which has been selling mobile accessories for 12 years. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ZIPKORD PRODUCTS, VISIT WWW.ZIPKORD.COM. AUTO R ENTAL N EWS January/February 2014 33