As of December 2012, the Government imposed a cash ban across the metal recycling industry in England and Wales meaning that cash can no longer be paid for scrap metal. EMR has responded quickly by working with Tuxedo to offer its account holders an alternative method of payment.

Tuxedo Money Solutions is one of the UKs leading e-money solutions providers, supplying a broad range of MasterCard and Visa prepaid payment options for some of the world’s most respected companies.

Through the partnership with EMR, Tuxedo has created a scheme which enables the company to provide their scrap metal customers who would have previously been paid in cash, a prepaid card.  Tuxedo has integrated its card issuing and loading platform into the EMR core business systems so that scrap can be weighed, purchased, payment cards issued and money loaded to them all in real time. The card holder is then able to use the card anywhere they see the MasterCard symbol – including ATMs.

The same card can also be reloaded and used repeatedly for up to 3 years.

Paul Smith from Tuxedo Money Solutions said: “EMR and Tuxedo have worked in harmony to ensure that the new legislation passed by the government is complied with. In line with the requirement for recording the identity of the customer, Tuxedo has also electronically linked into EMR’s core IT platform”.

Graeme Carus from EMR said: “We have been very pleased with the experience we have had with Tuxedo. They have moved really quickly and provided us with an excellent service. The Tuxedo pre-paid card is a very important part of our range of flexible, convenient and above all legally compliant payment methods and has been well received by our customers.

Ends

For more information please contact Megan Woods at Rave Communications on 01675 467462 or 07919 536866.

Email mwoods@rave-communications.com

Notes to editors

Tuxedo is one of the UKs leading e-money solutions providers.

From providing a white-labelled travel or general spend prepaid card for consumer focused brands to a range of business payment solutions offering convenience and control, Tuxedo develops the right solution for any business. Tuxedo delivers cost savings on administration and drives additional revenue for its clients including Phones4U, STA Travel, Sainsbury’s, The AA, Endsleigh Insurance and Tesco.

Central to Tuxedo’s solutions is it’s unique platform – the Tuxedo eccount^® – providing customers with a secure online master account that can facilitate the use of one or multiple Tuxedo prepaid cards.

Tuxedo Money Solutions is one of the UKs leading e-money solutions providers, supplying a broad range of MasterCard and Visa prepaid payment options for some of the world’s most respected companies.

Working with a wide range of businesses, Tuxedo offers a straightforward solution to small and medium sized charities looking to provide benefits to their supporters whilst earning the charity a rebate from their shopping. This has historically been offered via credit cards with a cashback rate of between 0.5% and 1% but Tuxedo is generating cashback of 5% to 15% for its existing charity partners.

Tuxedo has developed a community of national retailers including Sainsbury’s, M&S, B&Q, Halfords and Comet that have agreed to pay cashback which can either be shared with the cardholder or retained as additional income for the charity. Cashback can be used to incentivise consumers to keep loading and using their card, therefore earning  benefits for themselves as well as raising funds for the organisation.

A card payment solution that everyone is eligible for

The Apprenticeship Trust is a charity set up to bring young people and young offenders back into the work place, and has benefited from Tuxedo’s general use prepayment card.

Apprentices are provided with a Tuxedo’s “eccount money” and card product into which their wages are paid. By doing this, The Trust has the ability to educate staff on modern financial management and more importantly, take them out of the cash society in which they are trapped and into financial inclusion.  The Trust also earns cashback on card spend which can assist the charity in helping even more young people.

Pradip Daya of The Apprenticeship Trust said: “Our investment in Tuxedo Money Solutions has ensured that our apprentices are able to improve their money management skills whilst providing a safe and secure method of payment from our perspective.

Paul Smith of Tuxedo Money Solutions commented: “Our relationship with The Apprenticeship Trust clearly demonstrates how the Tuxedo scheme benefits all stakeholders. The charity sector can take advantage of much higher income generation by working with the most appropriate scheme provider.

To find out more about Tuxedo Money Solutions and how it could help your business, visit www.tuxedomoneysolutions.com or call 020 3219 3100.

Ends

For more information please contact Megan Woods at Rave Communications on 01675 467462 or 07919 536866.

Email mwoods@rave-communications.com

Notes to editors

Tuxedo is one of the UKs leading e-money solutions providers.

From providing a white-labelled travel or general spend prepaid card for consumer focused brands to a range of business payment solutions offering convenience and control, Tuxedo develops the right solution for any business. Tuxedo delivers cost savings on administration and drives additional revenue for its clients including Phones4U, STA Travel, Sainsbury’s, The AA, Endsleigh Insurance and Tesco.

Central to Tuxedo’s solutions is its unique platform – the Tuxedoeccount^® – providing customers with a secure online master account that can facilitate the use of one or multiple Tuxedo prepaid cards.

Read the article in full here.

“We are thrilled that consumers have awarded Tuxedo this accolade, the award for best prepaid card provider puts the company in a good position to lead the exciting evolution of the prepaid industry,” comments John Sharman, CEO of Tuxedo Money Solutions. 

Tuxedo Money Solutions have started 2011 with this prestigious award, a number of brand collaborations and a new website with enhanced functionality and ease to navigate.

The  SLC  Group,  an  organization  providing  housing  related  and  specialist  community  care  support services, has partnered with Tuxedo Money Solutions, a leading prepaid card provider, to offer its clients and support staff a new safe, convenient and easy to use payment solution.

The SLC Group (Supported Living in the Community) provides supported living and specialist community support for people with learning disabilities, physical and sensory disabilities, mental health needs and autism. Their support staff work closely with individuals and families to offer a personalised approach to lifestyle management, whilst promoting choice and independence.

The SLC Group looks for unique ways to support people through maximizing opportunities for freedom of choice and individual control, particularly with regard  to  individual budgets –  this new prepaid card offers a simple solution. The Tuxedo MasterCard® Prepaid Card allows management to load the desired amount on to the card which can then be used to make purchases providing   a secure and convenient alternative to carrying around cash. Not only does this deliver a controlled spending tool, but there is also a full transaction history available and improved processing costs and times.

SLC manage the funds via a central, easy to administer, electronic wallet system.  The facility enables the administrator to allocate the appropriate funds to the nominated cards in seconds, 24 hours a day.

Charles Eggleston, CEO of SLC, says: “Our investment in Tuxedo Money Solutions has ensured that The SLC Group’s appointeeship service for the people we support promotes complete transparency whilst providing our support staff with a secure and efficient payment device. This initiative fits right into the health and social care sector’s personalisation agenda and we are delighted to be working in partnership with Tuxedo to drive forward this innovative approach to money management.”

John Sharman, CEO of Tuxedo Money Solutions says: “We are delighted that The SLC Group has chosen Tuxedo as their partner to provide people cared for by their support services with prepaid cards. Being such an easy-to-use and secure method of payment, the Tuxedo MasterCard Prepaid Card is an obvious solution for carers helping individuals to manage their money.”

In a first for the European payments industry, Proxama, the UK’s leading mobile contactless payments, ticketing and marketing technology business, has partnered with Tuxedo Money Solutions, one of the UK’s leading e‐money product providers, to offer prepaid contactless payments for mobile phones. The solution, which leverages MasterCard® PayPass™ technology, runs on Tuxedo’s eccount platform, and can be deployed on mobile phone handsets that include Near Field Communications (NFC) technology.

As the prepaid market continues to expand, there is an increasing demand for new contactless propositions, which offer customers a simpler and more rewarding way to pay. The joint solution allows users to top‐up and check their prepaid account balance 24 hours a day from their mobile phone. In addition, users can instantly block or cancel their account if their phone is lost or stolen.

The development of this solution means that financial service providers, Mobile Network Operators, Mobile Virtual Network Operators and retailers looking to offer their customers a simpler and more rewarding way to pay, can enter the contactless payments market ‐ allowing for simpler integration, faster uptake and quicker market penetration. Proxama also offers contactless ticketing and marketing applications which, when combined with the payments application, creates the next generation of marketing opportunities.

Neil Garner, CEO of Proxama said: “Along with Tuxedo we have developed both a flexible and contactless payment  technology. This technology will enable any brand to integrate mobile contactless payments into their existing products and services – without the need for complex technology partnerships or significant in‐house development. We believe this will enable brands to realise the rapidly emerging contactless opportunities, and with a healthy return on investment.”

John Sharman, CEO of Tuxedo Money Solutions says:  “With the recent growth in the prepaid card market, we are delighted to be working with Proxama to be able to provide additional prepaid e‐money solutions to the market. I am very excited that we are working with such a forward-looking company to develop a modern and exciting new financial product”.

Endsleigh, the UK’s number one student insurance provider, has joined forces with Tuxedo Money Solutions, the leading prepaid card provider, to offer a new solution for students looking to budget – a prepaid student card.

This versatile card can be used anywhere that accepts MasterCard®, making it perfect for day to day transactions, shopping securely online and spending while abroad.  Unlike credit or debit cards, which are linked to a bank account, a prepaid card only allows students to spend the amount they have loaded. It also has no foreign currency conversion rates, which means it is a great alternative to travellers’ cheques or credit cards during overseas trips. With the summer break and gap years close by, it is perfect for students wanting to live life to the full while staying in control of their finances.

The Endsleigh Prepaid Student MasterCard®, costs just £9.95 to purchase and can be applied for through the Endsleigh website. www.endsleigh.co.uk. There are no credit checks and the whole process takes a few minutes.

Partnering with prepaid card service provider Tuxedo Money Solutions and issuing bank Newcastle Building Society, Endsleigh Prepaid Student MasterCard® offers its customers the eccount^†® facility where funds are safely held and released to their cards. The eccount® and card balances can be checked 24 hours a day and can be instantly blocked or canceled if it is lost or stolen.

Other benefits of the prepaid card include:

• Limits exposure to fraud or theft
• Chip and PIN security
• Money can be loaded by parents quickly and easily
• No bank account required
• Can be topped-up online, by phone or by text message (fees may apply)

Endsleigh spokesperson, Rebecca Heard says “Endsleigh have been providing products and services to students since 1965. We are delighted to offer students another product which is ideal for budgeting. The card can be used anywhere the MasterCard logo is displayed and can be topped up instantly by the cardholder or parent by phone, text message or online.

John Sharman, CEO of Tuxedo Money Solutions says “I am delighted to be working with Endsleigh to provide students with a responsible solution to help them manage their money. Students will be able to use their cards with confidence at 30 million locations and 1.5 million ATM’s around the world**. The card will offer students a new sense of security.”

The Elite Travel Group, a consortium of independent travel agents, has partnered with Tuxedo Money Solutions, a leading prepaid card provider, to offer its members a compelling additional product to sell to their customers; The Tuxedo Travel MasterCard® Prepaid Card. Holidaymakers and business travellers are increasingly looking for safe and convenient ways to control and protect their holiday spending – this new prepaid travel card offers a simple solution.

Travel currency cards are one of the fastest growing methods of spending money overseas, due to the security and convenience of a prepaid format. Elite Travel Group has recognised this growing trend as an opportunity for its members to offer customers an attractive spending method; which will drive customer loyalty and additional revenue. The opportunity for additional revenue has proved exceptionally popular with existing travel agents with revenues reported to be over double what has been achieved in travel insurance sales.

The Tuxedo Travel MasterCard® Prepaid Card allows travellers to use their card worldwide as it is loaded with sterling* and then it is converted to the local currency when a customer makes a transaction on the card. The card will allow consumers to hold up to £5,000 in a secure online eccount®. From the eccount funds can be safely moved to the card by text message (fees may apply), via the internet or phone, when required.

Tuxedo offers its customers the eccount facility where funds are safely held and released to their cards. The eccount or card balances can be checked 24 hours a day. Customers can also instantly block or cancel their card if it is lost or stolen. Free SMS alerts are sent when the card balance is low and needs topping‐up.

Travel card benefits for customers:

• A convenient alternative to travellers cheques
• A secure alternative to carrying large sums of cash
• Chip and PIN secure
• Block or unblock the card instantly online or via SMS

Based on a MasterCard prepaid platform, the travel cards are not linked to a bank account, reducing the risk of ID theft and there are no credit checks.  Customers simply purchase a card from the member’s point of sale for £19.95, activate their Money Card account online and top it up with funds. Consumers can also have up to two cards registered on the same eccount. The extra card will only cost £4.99 and is a convenient way for both holidaymakers and business travellers to look after their money.

Robert Grinsell, director of Elite Travel Group, says “We have chosen to work with Tuxedo Money Solutions to offer our members a leading travel card that will not only provide value for their customers and drive loyalty but also create an additional revenue stream. Travellers will benefit from a safe and cost effective way of spending abroad without being charged a transaction fee each time they spend, whilst the members business generates revenue when the card is used.”

John Sharman, CEO of Tuxedo Money Solutions says;

“We are delighted that Elite Travel Group has chosen Tuxedo as their partner to provide members with prepaid travel cards. Members will benefit from a meaningful additional revenue stream while cardholders will benefit from being able to use their Tuxedo Travel MasterCard® Prepaid Card in over 30 million locations and 1.5 million ATM’s in the UK and abroad where the MasterCard Acceptance Mark is displayed.”

*There are a number of ways to load money including BACS (free), credit card (4% fee), debit card (free) and Paypoint (3% fee)