SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Usio (Nasdaq: USIO), a tech-enabled payment solutions provider, today announced continued expansion and adoption of its industry leading payment platforms. Bright Trip, a web-based software solution that offers online video courses and downloadable content for global travelers, has adopted the Company’s PayFac-in-a-Box to facilitate transactions across its robust content platform. The Hula Bowl, airs on CBS this Sunday, January 26th, and one of college football’s most prestigious Bowl Games, has chosen Usio to provide branded Mastercards to manage the disbursement of funds to participants, players and coaches. These agreements represent Usio’s continued strategic expansion and penetration of SaaS-based applications and prepaid card issuance.
Vaden Landers, EVP and Chief Revenue Officer at Usio, said, “The signing of these two partnerships and the growth trajectory of the respective solutions they represent is very exciting for Usio. PayFac-in-a-Box continues to see strong traction as we enter the new year and the relationship with Bright Trip will further contribute to that momentum. By leveraging our proprietary PayFac solution, Bright Trip will be able to effectively and seamlessly facilitate transactions through their software application in an online environment. This will provide a positive and intuitive user checkout experience for travelers seeking educational resources and videos for destinations they plan to visit now or in the near future.”
Andrew McGarrity, co-founder and CEO of Bright Trip, commented, “Usio has been one of the most important partners to Bright Trip since its inception. By leveraging Usio’s robust payment functionality within our application, customers are now able to efficiently and effectively purchase our digital products in a much more intuitive way that far outpaces our competition. Our goal to demystify places around the world for travelers using our video-based travel courses has become a reality in large part due to our partnership with Usio and the value they bring to our ecosystem.”
Houston Frost, Senior Vice President of Prepaid Products at Usio, commenting on the new partnership with the Hula Bowl noted, “Our prepaid solutions are ideal for organizations like the Hula Bowl that are looking for an effective and efficient solution to manage the disbursement of funds. The ’HulaMula’ card will enable the Hula Bowl to load funds to cards, instantly disperse funds to participants and provide real-time reporting and analytics. Recipients of the card can review purchases and card balances, as well as add their card to their Apple or Google Pay wallet. The features and functionality available with our incentive, promotional and disbursement cards is what sets us apart from the competition. We are pleased that the Hula Bowl has partnered with us to support their incredible and historic bowl experience.”
Nick Logan, Owner of the Hula Bowl said, “The Hula Bowl is a storied franchise dating back to 1946. We pride ourselves on the great strides we’ve made in applying and implementing innovative technology, like Usio’s card issuance platform, to create a better experience for the many coaches, athletes and participants in the Hula Bowl. We are excited that each participant involved in this year’s bowl game will be given a ’HulaMula‘ card with their name on it as part of their SWAG bag. Usio will provide us the ability to load and easily manage distributed funds without the traditional burdens and limitations often associated with per diems, cash or check payments as well as the burdensome reporting associated with these more manual processes.”
In closing, Landers noted, “Aligning ourselves with organizations like Bright Trip and the Hula Bowl continue to enable Usio to efficiently expand our reach and accelerate our penetration of the software and prepaid card-issuing sectors. These are very notable, well-timed “wins” as we continue the critical ‘scaling’ phase of our business.”
About Usio, Inc.
Usio, Inc. (Nasdaq: USIO), a leading integrated payment solutions provider, offers a wide range of payment solutions to merchants, billers, banks, service bureaus, and card issuers. The Company operates credit, debit/prepaid, and ACH payment processing platforms to deliver convenient, world-class payment solutions and services to their clients. The strength of the Company lies in its ability to provide tailored solutions for card issuance, payment acceptance, and bill payments as well as its unique technology in the prepaid sector. Usio is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, and has offices in Franklin, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville.
Websites: www.usio.com, www.singularpayments.com, www.payfacinabox.com, www.akimbocard.com, and www.ficentive.com. Find us on Facebook® and Twitter.
About Bright Trip
Bright Trip offers video-based travel courses led by seasoned travelers to teach people how to experience a place with confidence. Bright Trip’s courses visually demystify a destination and focus on teaching travel concepts and skills to successfully navigate a trip abroad. Our content is different from today’s static travel content in that it is visually dynamic, packed with information and really fun to watch. We believe that the knowledge and skills gained on Bright Trip will make for a more informed and enjoyable trip.
Website: www.brighttrip.com
About the Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl was established in 1946 as the Hula Bowl All-Star Football Classic game. The inaugural game was played on January 5, 1947. Throughout its tenure, the game was historically played at the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. In 1998, the mayor of Maui County requested that the Organizers of the Hula have the game moved to the Island of Maui. In 2006, the Hula Bowl was returned back to its historic home on the beautiful island of Oahu. The game remained on Oahu until the 2008 game. The game is featured in January each year on the island of Oahu and includes NCAA college football players from all divisions, along with international players from Japan, Canada, Australia, and the UK. In addition, the game will always include Polynesian players with historic ties to the Islands.
Website: www.hulabowl.com
Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this release include forward-looking statements which are covered by safe harbors. Those statements include, but may not be limited to, all statements regarding management's intent, belief and expectations, such as statements concerning our future and our operating and growth strategy. These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of words such as "believe," "intend," "look forward," "anticipate," "schedule," and "expect" among others. Forward-looking statements in this press release are subject to certain risks and uncertainties inherent in the Company's business that could cause actual results to vary, including such risks related to the realization of the anticipated opportunities from the Singular acquisition, the management of the Company's growth, the loss of key resellers, the relationships with the Automated Clearinghouse network, bank sponsors, third-party card processing providers and merchants, the security of our software, hardware and information, the volatility of our stock price, the need to obtain additional financing, risks associated with new tax legislation, and compliance with complex federal, state and local laws and regulations, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018. One or more of these factors have affected, and in the future, could affect our businesses and financial results in the future and could cause actual results to differ materially from plans and projections. We believe that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements included in this release will prove to be accurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that our objectives and plans will be achieved. All forward-looking statements made in this release are based on information presently available to our management. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
Contacts
Usio – Card Issuance:
Kyle Ruschman
VP, Sales & Business Development
kyle.ruschman@paymentdata.com
859.803.0008
Investor Relations:
Joe Hassett
Gregory FCA
joeh@gregoryfca.com
484-686-6600