NZ Post Offers Retailers Brand New Payment Option

1 March 2008

Media Release

Embargoed until 2nd March 2008

NZ Post Offers Retailers Brand New Payment Option

From Thursday 6 March 2008 New Zealand Post and Visa International will be offering New Zealand e-tailers an opportunity to expand their customer base with the launch of “Loaded”, the country’s first general-purpose reloadable prepaid Visa card.

This new card will make online shopping more accessible for all New Zealanders, enabling customers to shop online securely and within their means.

Loaded works in the same way as a prepaid mobile phone – you load funds on the card before you spend. It offers a new payment option to consumers looking for the functionality and acceptance of a credit card along with the sensible spending habits offered by prepaid.

Terese Tunnicliffe, New Zealand Post’s Payment Services General Manager says “we believe Loaded will appeal to a broad range of people because of the freedom and control it offers over other card types”.

“Loaded is the ideal card for people who are either too young or don’t qualify for a credit card or those people who want added control over their spending”.

Loaded is easy to get. It isn’t attached to a bank account and anyone over the age of 13 is able to apply for a card.

The new card will provide thousands of customers who couldn’t buy from e-tailers and general retailers previously, because they didn’t have, or want to use, a credit card, a convenient means to shop with them online, by mail order, over the phone as well as over the counter.

Loaded is distinct from New Zealand Post’s existing prepaid Prezzy card. Prezzy is a prepaid gift card you would buy as a present for someone else. A Prezzy card can only be loaded once - at the time of purchase. Loaded is also a prepaid card but one you would buy for your own personal use. Loaded cards can also be reloaded (topped up) as often as the cardholder likes.

“Knowing the card will have a widespread appeal, we intentionally made Loaded as flexible and user-friendly as possible, but at the same time we have also taken a responsible approach and included several safeguards” says Ms Tunnicliffe.

One such safeguard is based on age. When a customer applies for a card, their age will determine whether they receive an over 18 account or an under 18 account. The under 18 card can not be used at bottle shops, bars or to purchase adult orientated services and products – both at point of sale and online. The card does this by blocking purchases at these merchants. A customer who is 18 or over can also elect to have an under 18 account if they want the restrictions built into the under 18 card account to apply to their card (e.g. if they want a second card for a teenage relative to use).

“The age restrictions fit in with the fun yet responsible theme for Loaded which we believe will be a positive feature for the younger market, parents and others using the card” says Ms Tunnicliffe.

Cardholders can choose between six different card colours and each loaded account can have up to 6 cards attached to it. Card applications can be made online or at any New Zealand PostShop.

The card can be “re-loaded” online (at www.loadedcard.co.nz), direct from a New Zealand bank account or at any PostShop using cash or EFTPOS. Cardholders can also check their balances and transactions online.

New Zealand Post will be inviting both e-tailers and retailers to display the card image, logo or website banner on their websites as well as on other customer communications.

“We want retailers to take advantage of this new payment option. Loaded is something e-tailers and retailers alike should be telling their customers about - to give them another safe and easy way to pay”.

Other features of the new Loaded card include:

• The card’s application fee is $16.50 but as part of the card’s launch promotion it will be available for just $10.00 until June 30, 2008.
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• There are no monthly fees and you can spend in store or online with any New Zealand retailer for free.
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• Cardholders are able to check their balances and transaction histories for free online at www.loadedcard.co.nz.
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• To help protect cardholders from spending more than their available balance, the Loaded card has been designed for electronic transactions only. For this reason Loaded cards cannot be used at taxis and automated fuel dispensers, for manual Visa payments (for example in zip-zap machines), for some services where the merchant requires identification, or for gambling.
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