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Experience and Service Make Card@Once^® an Elevated SaaS Solution

October 8, 2019

All over the country, hundreds of banks and credit unions rely on Card@Once to provide customers with the convenience and satisfaction of an instantly issued card when they need it. Adopted through a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, Card@Once has led the way in helping financial institutions enhance their customer experience for over 8 years – in fact, CPI Card Group was the first to market with this technology! And today, Card@Once is the strongest it’s ever been, thanks to three factors in particular: experience, service and security.

With a SaaS-based instant issuance solution, market experience makes a big difference. Card@Once – which has been recognized as an Enterprise Product of the Year – has brought cost-efficiency and convenience to thousands of small to mid-sized financial institutions across the U.S. The cloud-based platform is integrated with several cores and processors.* Integration with a core platform eliminates the need for dual entry, saving time and ensuring accuracy. The solution also supports manual entry without integration. Card@Once is plug-and-play, and a quick-to-implement cloud-based system – requiring no additional IT resources from the financial institution. The program set-up and system maintenance are fully managed by CPI. This gives financial institutions all the advantages of being able to issue cards in minutes, with minimal costs and resources.**

Card@Once also supports dual interface card solutions which can be a major competitive differentiator for banks and credit unions, especially as consumer lifestyles evolve and new technologies including contactless payments grow ever-popular. Thanks to CPI’s history of payment technology expertise, Card@Once is both EMV^® and dual interface capable – giving financial institutions a chance to get ahead of the curve.

Financial institutions using Card@Once also enjoy exceptional, 24/7 real-time support. In addition, the solution also features an online Training and Learning Center - which conveniently presents videos, webinars, and structured courses for continued Card@Once user education. With readily-available resources for reference – CPI truly empowers financial institutions to make the most of their Card@Once experience.

Card@Once card personalization is also PCI-compliant and meets Visa and MasterCard^® security requirements.**

Simply put: experience, service and security are key ingredients for financial institutions looking to get the most out of a SaaS-based instant issuance solution. Backed by CPI’s many years of market and compliance experience, Card@Once instant issuance can truly create value for banks and credit unions with minimal IT burden and 24/7 real-time support. Our easy solution and exceptional service continue to demonstrate why it’s more than worth the investment.

^{*Integration requires the cooperation of the core provider. Not all core platforms are available for integration.}
^{**Certain PCI standards apply to the financial institution facility that are not within CPI Card Group's control.}

5 Ways Instant Issuance Can Help You Improve Revenue Opportunity

April 15, 2019

When financial institutions instantly issue new or replacement cards on-site, cardholders enjoy convenience and an improved overall branch experience. Beyond the impact that good customer service can bring, banks and credit unions of all sizes can see remarkable financial benefits. Below are five key ways banks and credit unions can improve their revenue opportunities with instant issuance.

1. Enhance Branch Efficiency

With instant issuance, banks can create a more frictionless process, allowing frontline staff to deliver cards quicker and create a more efficient customer care experience. Time and staff resources previously committed to the card order process can be funneled back into core productivity and face-to-face time with cardholders – making for happier employees, happier customers or members, efficient operations and the financial benefits that come with them.

2. Deliver Better Customer Experiences

Aiding both customer acquisition and retention, instant issuance is an integral way for branches to meet consumer expectations in the on-demand era. The technology becomes critical when cardholders need a replacement card. Instant issuance helps minimize any disruption to their lives, allowing them to get back to business as usual after a quick visit to their branch. A strong customer experience can pave the way for loyalty, and potentially, more customers or members and more business.

3. Ride the Contactless Wave

Issuers that can deliver dual interface EMV^® cards via instant issuance will enjoy the competitive edge of providing a more frictionless payment experience. Contactless cards tend to be top-of-wallet, especially for small-dollar transactions – which helps to migrate spend from cash to card and further amplifies the interchange revenue potential from instant issuance.

4. Grant Immediate Purchasing Power

When cardholders place new, ready-to-use cards in their wallets immediately upon a branch visit, they gain the ability to start making purchases as soon as they step out – creating significant interchange revenue potential for banks and credit unions. Instant issuance has been shown to positively impact debit activation rates with increases of 4-10 percent, depending on branch and member demographics. Debit card programs can also see an average increase of 21 percent in monthly debit purchase transactions, depending on the mix of new and existing cardholders receiving a new card.

5. Reduce Mail Costs

Financial institutions that implement instant issuance to expedite cards into cardholder hands while the customer or member is onsite can reduce their mail-related costs, seeing savings upwards of $1 per card. By offering cards to new accountholders and replacement cards to current customers, the cost-savings over time can be substantial. In addition, both the institution and the cardholder avoid the costs associated with mail delays or card interception.

Interested in offering in-branch instant card issuance to your cardholders? CPI Card Group’s team of dedicated client services specialists are here to help. ↪ CLICK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CARD@ONCE

Card@Once Instant Issuance Wins Silver for Best in Biz “Enterprise Product of the Year”

March 25, 2019

Recognizing the importance of instant issuance in today’s financial marketplace, the Best in Biz Awards recently named CPI Card Group’s innovative Card@Once solution a 2018 silver winner in the Enterprise Product of the Year – All Others category.

The Best in Biz Awards is the only business awards program judged by an independent panel of prominent reporters and editors from top-tier business publications including the Associated Press, Businessweek, CNET, Fast Company, Financial Times, Inc., Forbes, Fortune, Reuters, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired, among others. Past award winners have included household names like AT&T, Aflac, Microsoft, Sheraton, Eastman, Ernst & Young, and Hewlett-Packard.

The 8th annual Best in Biz Awards recognized CPI’s Card@Once as a secure, cloud-based instant issuance solution that is both quick to deploy and easy to use.

As a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution, Card@Once allows issuers to instantly print magnetic stripe, EMV^® and dual interface debit and credit cards in the branch without requiring expensive on-premises software or servers. CPI manages all IT support and updates, allowing the financial institution to focus solely on serving the needs of its cardholders with minimal upfront investment and no annual licensing fees. PCI-compliant¹, Card@Once offers issuers a competitive differentiator that helps improve their cardholder experience.

The benefits of instant issuance are well-established. It allows financial institutions to serve their cardholders’ most urgent needs, while also reducing the substantial costs associated with mailing or shipping cards, with a savings of up to $1 per card. Instant issuance has also been shown to improve debit card activation rates by between 4 and 10 percent depending on branch and cardholder demographics, and to increase monthly debit purchase transactions by an average of 21 percent, depending on the mix of new and existing cardholders receiving the card.

Card@Once also allows issuers to respond effectively to instances of fraud and card compromise. In 2017, Indiana-based Farmers & Merchants Bank needed to rapidly reissue nearly 800 debit cards in response to cardholders effected by card data compromise. Thanks to the Card@Once instant issuance solution, the Bank was able to immediately meet this critical need, reissuing most cards within a 24-hour window, while simultaneously converting its cardholders to the EMV chip-enabled standard.

Interested in offering in-branch instant card issuance to your cardholders? CPI Card Group’s team of dedicated client services specialists are here to help. ↪ CLICK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CARD@ONCE

¹Certain PCI standards apply to the financial institution facility that are not within CPI Card Group's control.

The Promise of Metal: Capitalizing on First Impressions

March 14, 2019

Metal cards have caught the eye of consumers in recent years. A certain segment of cardholder craves the feelings of exclusivity, luxury, and sophistication that metal cards provide. Attracted by the prospect of adding new, affluent cardholders, many financial institutions are looking to add metal card options to their portfolios. But the higher costs involved in manufacturing metal cards is giving some issuers pause. Before you take the leap, it’s important to understand the key ingredients of a successful metal card program. In this post, we discuss the first of these important aspects: the look.

Heavy on design

Aside from the noticeable heft and recognizable click when a metal card meets a hard surface, the naturally rich, unique look of the materials is one of the most appealing aspects of these cards. In the past, cards created using alloys offered a more limited design palate. Today, innovations in manufacturing have produced fusions of metal and plastic, allowing issuers to combine many of the same treatments available on plastic with the weight and rigidity of a metal component.

Elaborate design and personalization features offer issuers an emerging world of possibility in metal. The key is to view metal as a starting point – a blank canvas on which to create an immersive, customized cardholder experience that fully reflects your brand. By leveraging distinctive design features like matte coatings, spot UV gloss, and bright color treatments, you can instill your cardholders with a sense of pride and exclusivity. Laser personalization completes the front or back of the card.

Metal Cards Have the Edge

Finally, the design elements for metal cards are completed with a distinctive edge. For encased cards, issuers can take advantage of colored-edge options to complement the design, allowing for a gleaming exposed edge from its spot at the top of the wallet. Differentiation at the edge can enhance an issuer’s brand identity as well as create a look that stands out.

For financial institutions to remain on the forefront of consumer taste and expectations, they should not only provide the products their cardholders demand but also anticipate their desires through continuous innovation. Disrupting the status quo through the expanding possibilities of a metal card can redefine cardholder preferences.

Building a metal card program with an experienced partner like CPI Card Group enables financial institutions to seamlessly integrate metal cards into their offerings through a team of dedicated client services and research and development specialists. Learn more about CPI Card Group’s encased metal cards. ↪ CLICK TO SEE ENCASED METAL CARDS

Back to Basics – Software as a Service (SaaS)

August 16, 2018

Instant issuance is emerging as a key element in branch transformation to respond to the on-demand expectations of customers. Financial institutions are discovering that an in-branch instant issuance solution quickly delivers on service and speed, expediting cards into cardholder hands. However, questions often arise when choosing between delivery models.

There are two main categories of instant issuance: Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), where the software is a cloud-based “cloud” service and Software for Purchase (SFP), in which the institution owns the server and software. CPI highlights the differences between the two models in this white paper.

In brief, I have outlined how a SaaS instant issuance solution model works.

What is “Software as a Service”?
Software as a Service is a cloud-based application hosted by a third party and delivered via the internet. “Cloud-based” is an interchangeable term often used to indicate the software is stored in the “cloud” (on a third-party’s servers). Access to the software is gained through an online portal. Common examples of SaaS programs would be internet search engines, social media platforms, and an assortment of online tools, such as banking applications, payroll services, learning systems, service desks, and many others.

A SaaS instant issuance model offers the ability for financial institutions to use an internet connection to create and print a card order to a designated printer, in branch. The leading benefit of a SaaS solution, like CPI’s Card@Once®, is that there is no software or servers for the issuer to maintain – the solution provider securely manages it all. Once network settings are established, there is no need for additional IT staff or resources.

What network set up is needed for SaaS instant issuance?
The SaaS provider directs the settings to access their servers for branch printers to receive remote print commands. Typical network installations can require Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to ensure each printer has a unique IP address. A reputable instant issuance supplier will provide a set of instructions to access available internet ports, and will assist staff in establishing connectivity.

When a card print is requested, an encrypted message travels via the internet to the remote servers where calculations are performed and a secure print command is then sent out to branch printers.

Who is responsible for the keys?
The SaaS solution provider owns the server and Hardware Security Module (HSM). Key components ship securely from processors to the SaaS vendor and are downloaded by experienced key custodian teams. Keys are stored within facilities that meet PCI compliance for key control and the supplier accepts responsibility for security of the keys and software updates.

The importance of the responsibilities around cryptographic keys cannot be overemphasized. All financial institutions that offer payment cards arrange for encrypted keys from their processor for their specific Bank Identification Numbers (BINs). Production keys are required for each card print to calculate the correct values that appear on the card (i.e. CVV2 or security code that appears on the back of the card). Cryptographic keys must be correctly loaded and used for each print in order for cards to validate. Having a team of experts from a solution provider to handle the HSM and the keys is a major advantage.

What is a plug-and-play solution?
For banks and credit unions that have limited IT resources, a SaaS solution can be attractive because it offers “plug-and-play” availability. Typically, the term plug-and-play refers to a piece of hardware that can be used immediately upon plugging it in without additional programming.

With Card@Once, software programming is already complete, so printers arrive at the branch ready for an Ethernet connection to access the internet and a plug for an electrical outlet. For security, a specialized security key is preprogrammed to match the printer. The key ships in a separate package and must be used to verify authenticity. Once the verification step is completed, card printing can begin right away.

To contrast, with a SFP set-up, the delivery of the dedicated server, HSM and printers is the beginning of the programming process. The financial institution is then responsible for the install of the card printing software, the secure download of key components, all network implementation and the onboarding of employees.

In conclusion, it is important to note that the needs of every financial institution are different, and there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution. However, for decision-makers tasked with finding an instant issuance solution that is the best fit, knowing these terms and having a deep understanding of the options can go a long way towards feeling confident about your decision.

↪ CLICK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CARD@ONCE

Back to Basics – Card Design

July 19, 2018

Cards are everywhere — relied on to purchase goods, grant access to buildings or memberships, earn brand loyalty points, discounts, and more. Companies can visually enhance cards to appeal to a wide audience, inspiring usage while creating a preferred, top-of-wallet experience. Card designers are able to create a product used routinely in everyday life and capture the vibe of brand, a company’s messaging, or reflection of their audience. However, the personnel most often charged with developing and approving card program designs, typically, are not the card designers. As a guide, below is a back-to-basics breakdown of an approach to the card design process.

Brainstorming
A creative brainstorming session is essential to the beginning of any card design. Take a look at what is inspiring and think about how to apply it to card design. The creative brainstorm can pull from a variety of items, such as the geometric pattern in the architecture on a building, the texture of a piece of metal, or the sparkle or shine of a car. This early stage in the process is the time to evaluate design trends and determine what should apply to your card design. Often, a mood board is created to narrow down concepts for the card design. A mood board is an arrangement of different inspiration points (photos, colors, and swatches). From there, you can see which elements work together and incorporate into the card design, and even, determine placement of these elements on the card.

Choosing materials
Once the creative direction is defined, it is time to move to material selection. Material selection influences the unique characteristics of a card, such as a colored or metal edge, added weight and rigidity, a reflective foil appearance, or a unique visual effect created by a color-shifting pigment or spot gloss. Material choices also create texture and can be used to highlight effects when the card is tilted in the light, while creating a tactile experience affecting how the card feels in the hand.

It is important to remember, however, the goal is to create a product crafted for both form and function – a valuable product that can bear significant importance to a cardholder. From premium metal cards to gift cards, to dual interface and technology cards, each card has a purpose and it is important for the design to complement its functionality while resonating with the user. For example, if the card is intended to be a dual interface EMV payment card, choose materials that maintain the integrity and functionality of the technology. Ultimately, the card needs to be built from the correct materials to meet International Standards Organization (ISO) specifications and brand association guidelines to ensure it can swipe, dip, scan and wave as intended.

Manufacturing
As material selections are determined and the card moves into manufacturing, this is where it all comes together. Manufacturing decisions should be made with the mindset of ensuring that a card can be produced successfully for a reasonable cost. For instance, once the card exists, how will it be customized for the end user? Using a supplier that can produce cards and personalize them is a major advantage. However, in the case where a card is manufactured separately from the personalization bureau, the two entities will have to work together to manufacture a final product.

If personalization is required, this is the time to decide on the elements that make each card unique to the individual cardholder. If there is a cardholder name, will that name be embossed, flat, or laser printed? Perhaps the designer prepared for one of the new trends such as vertical cards or personalization on the back. This is a great opportunity to “expand the canvas” of the card to include custom carriers and materials that carry the design through, as well.

Delivery
Outside of the card itself, considerations need to be made about how the card will reach the cardholder. What sort of packaging will it have? Will it go through automated processes to fit into a package, mailer or envelope, or does the card need to be securely displayed in a retail setting? The only limit to packaging options are imagination and budget. Truly high-end experiences can be created for special cardholders with hand-packaged boxes, cartons and priority delivery.

Reception
Card design does not end with the graphics; the card is a product where materials and craftsmanship are important to the success of the end product. The experience of receiving a card should be exciting and inspire the end user to use the card again and again. This is true regardless of whether the card is received via mail from a financial institution, issued instantly, or purchased from a retail outlet as a prepaid or gift card. A recipient who is delighted by the way their card looks and performs benefits from the time and attention applied to the design, and that happy experience becomes a reflection of the brand, as well.

Developing a card can feel like a lot of pressure for those charged with the design. However, if the project is approached with the steps from initial creative brainstorming, to material selection, manufacturability and distribution, ultimately there will be a fully functioning, beautiful, and hopefully, valued card product in the cardholder’s hands.

↪ CLICK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CARD PRODUCTION

Back to Basics – Dual Interface

June 20, 2018

We get many questions from people about dual interface cards and what happens during a transaction, such as, “When you tap a dual interface card, what is actually happening?” I was asked to go back-to-basics and reveal what happens behind the scenes of a dual interface tap or wave. What if I were to tell you by the time a dual interface card is tapped, all the information between card and reader has already been exchanged? The End. Well, that may make for the shortest blogging career on record, so instead let us take some time to examine what happens during the time a customer is reaching out to make a contactless payment.

Starting from the perspective of the payment terminal, the common card reader in the grocery store checkout line is operating at or near a radio frequency of 13.56MHz. Considered “high frequency,” 13.56MHz compares to an amateur ham-radio operation; higher than AM radio waves, but not as high as FM radio or television broadcasts. When activated, the card reader will produce an alternating magnetic radio field, looking to establish contact with a payment object. “Payment objects” include a variety of devices such as phones, watches, cards or other technologies with payment data; but for now, we’ll focus on cards. Before the data can be received, the card reader has to do three things: establish contact with the card, open a secure communication channel, and then negotiate the communication speed with the card. Finally, the terminal finds the EMV application on the chip and starts reading the data tags to get directions for handling the transaction.

Let us flip our perspective to focus on what is happening with cards during a payment transaction. Cards may also be referred to as “proximity cards,” which are smart cards that become active when in proximity to a card reader, and can be either pure contactless or dual interface. These cards are designed to meet ISO standards. Proximity cards have an embedded antenna that functions at or near a frequency of 13.56 MHz. When a card approaches the radio field of a reader, energy from the reader crosses the antenna in the card and generates a current flow. Usually the needed power level is achieved when the card is within 4 cm of the reader, which causes the chip to come alive to transmit its data.

As the cardholder extends the card towards the terminal, the radio frequency emitted from the reader inductively couples to the antenna in the card and turns on the chip. The card is a passive receiver of energy, harvesting what is needed for the chip with no additional power source required from the card itself. Now the chip is on and ready to share its stored information.

The card waits for the first command from the terminal, and then responds with an “answer.” The terminal finds the EMV application and reads the data tags on the chip to get directions for handling the transaction. Data tags are bits of accountholder information encrypted and securely stored on the EMV chip. Some you would expect, such as cardholder name, expiration date of the card, or primary account number, and others are more obscure, as in “card risk management data object list” (there are two of those!). A complete list can feature more than 30 separate data tags.

So far, the chip has come alive and is transmitting its data tags to the terminal – all in about a half of a second. The cardholder is still moving the card towards the terminal at this point. The reader will use information from the card to determine if the card should be declined, if it should go online to get authorization from the core processor, or if it can be accepted as an offline transaction. If it requires online authorization, an Authorization Request Cryptogram (ARQC) will be sent to the host system for final card validation. The host (core processor) calculates an Authorization Response Cryptogram (ARPC) and sends it back to validate the issuer.

After these two additional snippets of data are exchanged, the card is close enough for a physical tap. As the light flashes and the card reader emits a beep, the cardholder can safely return the card to their wallet because even as they withdraw the card, the transaction is already complete. The entire transaction process of waving the dual interface card usually takes around one second in real time.

↪ CLICK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CARD PRODUCTION