Release Details

MasterCard and USA Technologies to Trial MasterCard® PayPass? in Ohio Turnpike Tollbooths

December 21, 2006
MasterCard and USA Technologies to Trial MasterCard® PayPass? in Ohio Turnpike Tollbooths

PURCHASE, NEW YORK, December 21, 2006 - MasterCard Worldwide today announced that it is managing a consumer trial of contactless "Tap & Go"? payments in selected exit lanes and service plazas on the Ohio Turnpike. The trial is being conducted in partnership with the Ohio Turnpike Commission, USA Technologies (OTC Bulletin Board: USAT) and Paywerks, Inc. The Ohio Turnpike is the first toll road in the U.S. to accept payment cards for self-service, toll transactions. The Ohio Turnpike Commission is also the first to test general purpose contactless payment cards in a highway environment.

USA Technologies' e-Port credit card payment processing technology has enabled MasterCard and the Ohio Turnpike to offer consumers the convenience of MasterCard PayPass?. This technology gives consumers an alternative to cash and allows small-ticket transactions to be completed quickly, securely and easily. Executive Director of the Ohio Turnpike Commission, Gary Suhadolnik, in anticipating a successful trial stated that, "drivers who use PayPass at these self-service toll payment machines will no longer need to fumble for cash and coins or even insert a credit card when exiting the Ohio Turnpike. Instead, they will simply insert their toll ticket into the machine, tap their PayPass-enabled card or device on the reader and pass through to their destination, with no signature required."

This trial of PayPass on the Ohio Turnpike comes just after the announcements that USA Technologies and MasterCard were rolling out 6,000 new PayPass vending machine locations throughout the U.S in Philadelphia, New York City, Dallas, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington D.C., Denver, Seattle, Miami and Orlando.

"Contactless payments present a unique value position around transaction speed," said Mike Friedman, Director of Mercator Advisory Group's Emerging Technologies Practice. "This makes them an ideal solution for environments where throughput is paramount."

Three lanes at exit 140 (Amhert - Oberlin) and one lane at exit 161 (Strongsville - Cleveland) have been outfitted with the self-service toll payment machines and terminals to accept PayPass. One lane at exit 142 (Lorain County West) and one lane at exit 151 (North Ridgeville - Cleveland) - will be similarly outfitted by early January. In addition, numerous PayPass-enabled vending machines will be installed at the Vermilion Valley and Middle Ridge service plazas (mile marker 139.5). The PayPass trial in the toll plaza exit lanes will run for approximately ninety days.

"Our Company is honored to work with MasterCard Worldwide in continuing to expand this important relationship to utilize our e-Port technology for proliferation of the MasterCard PayPass in self service applications nationwide," said Stephen P. Herbert, President and COO of USA Technologies.

The Ohio Turnpike trial is the latest in a series of rollouts designed to demonstrate the viability of contactless payments in different environments and in new devices where transaction speed and throughput are paramount. "PayPass continues to prove its versatility in a variety of environments, such as in convenience stores, sports arenas, in taxis or at subway turnstiles," said T.J. Sharkey, Group Head, National Accounts, U.S. Commerce Development, MasterCard Worldwide.

With no signatures required for transactions below $25, MasterCard PayPass? has achieved widespread acceptance in environments that place a premium on speed and convenience, such as quick-serve restaurants, drug stores, gas stations, vending machines, movie theaters and parking garages. There are currently 11 million PayPass cards and devices in use at more than 36,000 merchant locations worldwide, including participating 7-Eleven, CVS, McDonald's, Regal Entertainment Group theaters and many others. There are numerous PayPass related programs currently under way in 13 countries, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, China, Thailand, Turkey, Lebanon, Malaysia, Australia, Taiwan and the Philippines, with more anticipated in 2006 and 2007. For more information about MasterCard PayPass and a full list of participating merchants, visit www.mastercard.com/paypass.

MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link between financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes close to 14 billion payments each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial institution customers and merchants. Through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®, MasterCard Worldwide serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information go to www.mastercardworldwide.com.

With the exception of the historical information contained in this release, the matters described herein contain forward-looking statements that involve risk and uncertainties that may individually or mutually impact the matters herein described, including but not limited to product acceptance, the ability to continually obtained increased orders of its products, the ability to meet installation goals, economic, competitive, governmental impacts, whether its pending patents will be granted or defendable; validity of intellectual property and patents of USA, the ability of USA to license its patents, the ability of USA to commercialize its developmental products, technological and/or other factors, which could cause actual results or revenues to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements.