News

U.K.'s WorldPay launches Discover in advance of jubilee, olympics

March 29, 2012

Streamline, part of the WorldPay group and the largest provider of card payment processing in the U.K. and Europe, announced today the launch of Discover and Diners Club cards as a standard option in its payments portfolio for small and medium-sized businesses in the U.K.

WorldPay currently offers Diners Club acceptance in the U.K. only by merchant request. Through Streamline, WorldPay will now offer Discover, Diners Club, BC Card and DinaCard acceptance to all merchants and will support D-PAS, Discover’s EMV-compliant payments solution, as well as enabling chip-based terminals.

The news precedes major tourist events in the U.K. — the Queen's Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympic Games — and paves the way for Discover card-carrying visitors. An estimated 10.5 million people will travel to the UK in 2012, with each visitor predicted to spend an average of £85 ($135) daily in shops, restaurants and theatres. The partnership better positions smaller businesses to tap into this market.

"The UK is braced for a surge in visitor numbers this year, and through this agreement, we are helping small businesses be better prepared to make the most of international tourists’ spending power," said Darren Wilson, managing director at Streamline. "Many overseas customers might not be carrying cash and will only have their own cards, so it is important that [small and medium enterprises] are able to offer a wider choice of card payment options.”

Said Malcolm Mullin, owner of the premier London whisky retailer The Vintage House, “The revenue we generate through overseas visitors is vital to our business, so we need to be able to speak our customers’ language in every way, right through to dealing with their preferred methods of payment. 2012 is going to be a massive year for us, as our product is exceptionally popular with tourists. We are delighted that we can accept Discover through Streamline.”

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