Happy Thanksgiving from All of Us at Glenbrook!
Gosh, it's almost Thanksgiving again - the holiday that many folks (including me!) think of as just the best holiday in the US. At Glenbrook, we've got a lot to be thankful for again this year. Across the industry, many payments professionals have worked hard to make sure everything in the card payment systems is ready for the upcoming annual "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" onslaught of volume. Chase Paymentech's Pulse Index will be tracking ecommerce sales trends over the holiday weekend - so we can watch how the currently challenged US consumer economy

Frontline's The Card Game
Last night, PBS aired the Frontline documentary "The Card Game" about credit cards, credit card debt, fees and consumer loans in the US. The PBS website has an online version that can be watched along with additional interviews, background, analysis,

Tactics for Getting a Lower Merchant Discount Fee - Surcharging
In an article titled "Bar Owner Stood Firm and Won Lower Fees", Keith Bradsher writes for the New York Times from Sydney, Australia about how The Merivale Group, Sydney’s largest operator of upscale restaurants and bars, successfully negotiated a lower merchant fee for acceptance of American Express cards. The tactic they used? In a word: Surcharging. The regulatory environment in Australia allows merchants to surcharge card fees to consumers.

Headline News - November 25, 2009
Individual Donations Add Up With Capital One’s No Hassle Giving Program Chase Offers Holiday Discounts, Bonus Rewards From Top Retailers Through the Ultimate RewardsSM Holiday Program The Atlantic Business Channel: How Cred

Merchants Fighting Chargebacks
In an article titled "Shady Shoppers Beware" in today's Wall St. Journal, Emily Maltby writes about how some merchants are fighting customers who tend to chargeback purchases by using services such as those offered by BadCustomer.com and Ignify.