Instant Issue Debit Cards: A Second Look

Mercator Advisory Group’s research report, Instant Issue Debit Cards: A Second Look, makes the case for instant issuance of debit cards. Besides its benefits to consumers, instant issue has benefits for financial institutions, including the opportunity for branch personnel to explain in-person how EMV chip cards operate. As more branches become equipped for instant issue, the competitive pressures will increase for those financial institutions that don’t offer this service.

“In addition to the convenience of instant issue for banking customers, there are some compelling quantitative reasons for it, both revenue generating and cost savings, that help justify the costs of integration of instant issue into branch sales, operations, and technology, as well as a variety of deployment strategies that can be used to maximize the investment,” comments Sarah Grotta, Director, Debit Advisory Service at Mercator Advisory Group, and author of this report.

This report has 21 pages and 12 exhibits, including an overview of market providers.

Companies mentioned in the report include: ABnote, CPI Card Group, FIS, Fiserv, Entrust Datacard, Gemalto, JPMorgan Chase, MagTek, MasterCard, NBS Technologies, PNC, TD Bank, TSYS, and Visa.

Members of Mercator Advisory Group’s Debit Advisory Service have access to these reports as well as the upcoming research for the year ahead, presentations, analyst access, and other membership benefits.