Replies to post #610 on USA Technologies Inc (USAT)

[FUNMAN]

Agreed.

Anyone who thought USAT was a get-rich-quick investment, watched it since it went public in 1995, and invested at any time over the next 15 years can certainly carry a grudge.

That said, we invest at our own risk. The stock market isn't for wimps.

USAT's financials clearly show how much progress has been made. So with every deal that further cements the company's financial foundation, I will be buying more shares.

USAT is going to be a slow and steady riser. People are creatures of habit and the best thing USAT has going for them is the end buyer is going to keep buying over and over again.

With every swipe USAT makes more money.

[FUNMAN]

BYNDL and USA Technologies Form Alliance to Provide New, Feature-Rich Mobile Services
Alliance Designed to Bring Cutting-Edge Mobile Solutions to Self-Service, Unattended Retail Markets

USAT keeps moving forward.

SEATTLE & MALVERN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BYNDL Inc., an innovator of hardware and VMS-agnostic mobile marketing, payment and support services, has signed a strategic alliance with USA Technologies, (NASDAQ:USAT), a leader of wireless, cashless payment, telemetry and consumer engagement services for self-serve retail industries, that provides for the two companies to work together to incorporate BYNDL mobile marketing and payment services to USAT's 6,000 plus customer base.

USA Technologies' ePort Connect® is the company's flagship service platform. ePort Connect is a PCI-compliant, end-to-end suite of cashless payment and telemetry services specially tailored to fit the needs of small ticket, self-service retailing industries. USA Technologies has over 240,000 connections to its ePort Connect service.

"USA Technologies has been a leader in enabling mobile technology for unattended retail. We are delighted to work with USAT to provide a combined set of capabilities that we believe will drive innovative new services in unattended retail, creating value for our operators and their consumers," said Lori Salow Marshall, founder and CEO of BYNDL.

BYNDL expands the opportunities for consumer engagement with vending machines using mobile devices. In addition to accepting cashless payments, the BYNDL system targets demand creation through loyalty programs, coupons and gamification. It also provides new benefits for operators such as collected consumer preference and purchase data, and a system to provide customer support at the machine utilizing mobile.

Under the terms of the strategic alliance, the two companies will work together to offer USA Technologies' ePort Connect customers additional BYNDL mobile solutions. Examples of additional services proposed include:

Family Accounts - allowing family members to fund and manage several accounts from the same set of profile data and funding sources.
Hyper-Local Offers - coupons and offers delivered to consumers who opt-in based on the location of their regular vending activity.
Gamification - demand generation through location-based offers delivered via relevant games and mobile apps.
All of these proposed solutions would leverage mobile payment capabilities such as QR codes, NFC, text messaging transactions services, as well as USAT's eBeacon™ BLE technology.

"The self-service retail industry understands that consumers will increasingly demand a mobile solution that goes beyond payments," said Stephen P. Herbert, chairman and CEO of USA Technologies. "Partnering with BYNDL provides USA Technologies with another innovative resource as part of our overall mobile payment initiatives that include bringing cutting-edge, consumer engagement services to the self-serve retail market."

Brands, operators and digital marketing firms interested in working with BYNDL and USA Technologies can learn more by registering at http://www.byndl.com/about-byndl/usat-list/.

About USA Technologies:

USA Technologies is a leader of wireless, cashless payment and M2M telemetry solutions for small-ticket, self-serve retailing industries. ePort Connect® is the company's flagship service platform, a PCI-compliant, end-to-end suite of cashless payment and telemetry services specially tailored to fit the needs of small ticket, self-service retailing industries. USA Technologies also provides a broad line of cashless acceptance technologies including its NFC-ready ePort® G-series, ePort Mobile™ for customers on the go, and QuickConnect, an API Web service for developers. USA Technologies has been granted 87 patents and has agreements with Verizon, Visa, Elavon and customers such as Compass, Crane, AMI Entertainment and others. Visit the website at www.usatech.com.

About BYNDL:

BYNDL Inc. is a Seattle-based innovator of hardware-and VMS-agnostic mobile marketing, payment and support services for unattended retail. The BYNDL smartphone app, and apps that are powered by BYNDL, provide operators with new revenue streams and new ways to engage consumers at the machine. The BYNDL service also enables operators and location managers to provide real-time consumer support via the BYNDL mobile app. BYNDL is working with multiple hardware partners, including Sprout Retail's MDBlu device (http://www.mdblu.com) and USAT's ePort technologies, enabling operators to have a single mobile app to support all of their vending technology and payment partners. Visit the website at www.byndl.com.

Forward-looking Statements:

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including without limitation, the business strategy and the plans and objectives of USAT's management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this release, words such as "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", and similar expressions, as they relate to USAT or its management, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of USAT's management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to USAT's management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including but not limited to, business, financial market and economic conditions; USAT's ability to accurately predict future market conditions, consumer behavior and levels of usage of mobile solutions; the ability of the BYNDL system to create additional demand for USAT's products and services; whether the alliance with BYNDL Inc. will result in new mobile services; and whether, and extent to which, any new mobile services provided as a result of USAT's alliance with BYNDL Inc. will be commercially successful. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this release speaks only as of the date of this release. Unless required by law, USAT does not undertake to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

G-USAT



Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140506006412/en/

TechStart for BYNDL
Scott Sutherland
[e-mail]
or
USA Technologies
Veronica Rosa
VP Corp. Comm. & Investor Relations
484-359-2138
[e-mail]

Source: USA Technologies

[FUNMAN]

Published in the New York Times

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/07/another-push-to-pay-with-smartphones-at-vending-machines/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&module=BlogPost-Title&version=Blog&_r=2&;

Another Push to Pay With Smartphones at Vending Machines
By NICK WINGFIELD MAY 7, 2014, 9:13 PM

SEATTLE — If anything should be able to get people to use their smartphones as mobile wallets, it’s vending machines.

I can’t be the only one who has hankered for a bag of chips in one of those machines, only to discover that my money was no good. Either I have no cash, my bills are irredeemably wrinkled or my denominations are too high for the vending machine to accept.

Yet mobile wallets, with some rare exceptions, can’t seem to get out of first gear with the public. Google and ISIS, a mobile payments system built as a joint venture among American wireless carriers, have had slow adoption of their mobile wallets, according to people in the business. Both have been getting vending machine operators to integrate their technologies.

A start-up called Byndl is taking a less ambitious approach to mobile payments, focusing only on vending machines. And while the company is a mere minnow compared with Google and the backers of ISIS, it has a few twists that might make it appealing to vending machine operators and the people who buy from them.

The basics are that Byndl is creating a mobile app, to be released within the next month, that people can load up electronically with money using a credit card or another payment system. Beyond that, the start-up says it has a few tricks to get people actually to want to use the app, making it more enticing than a broader mobile wallet.

It will have family accounts so a mom and dad can centrally manage the money on their kids’ smartphones. Its system is smart enough that it will be able to funnel “hyperlocal offers” to customers — a coupon for a soda, say, that can be redeemed at a nearby vending machine. Similarly, mobile games will be able to offer discounts and free snacks to players from nearby machines via Byndl, too.

“Everything points to the fact that horizontal payments apps are not really compelling,” said Lori Salow Marshall, the founder and chief executive of Byndl in an interview. “People want a more compelling experience.”

Byndl has just reached an agreement with USA Technologies, a maker of electronic payment technologies for so-called self-serve retail businesses. Under the deal, USA will market Byndl’s service to USA’s customers in the vending machine business. USA has about 6,000 such customers with almost 250,000 vending machines in operation.

Newer vending machines are often already connected to the Internet and can work with Byndl. Older machines can be retrofitted with low-cost hardware for less than $200 to be compatible.

To create more interest in the service among vending machine operators, Byndl said it would share data about customer shopping habits with them, giving them insight into when, how often and where people buy from their machines. While that kind of visibility is normal for bricks-and-mortar retailers, it’s relatively new to vending machine operators.

“It goes way beyond making a payment,” Stephen P. Herbert, chairman and chief executive of USA Technologies, said of Byndl.

[FUNMAN]

Between yesterday's USAT volume (5-times avg daily) and already today at 10:45 a.m. (7-times avg daily), it's pretty obvious someone or some entity is taking a big position in USAT.

[FUNMAN]

USAT likely to be acquired, says Northland. This explains yesterday's action, but it sounds totally unsubstantiated.

theflyonthewall.com
May 29, 2014 9:52 AM

Northland believes USA Technologies will ultimately be acquired but rates the shares an Outperform given trends towards cashless vending and said it has one of the largest networks of NFC devices enabling mobile payments. The analyst notes unit forecasts at On Track Innovations, its main supplier, are above its estimates. Shares are Outperform rated with a $3 price target.

http://www.otiglobal.com/

[FUNMAN]

USAT_Celebrates_Milestone-250,000_Connections_to_its_ePortConnect

I am very excited to read this, but don't want to buy into the current inflated price caused buy the buyout rumor.

I would like to wait and buy on the dip.



USA Technologies Celebrates Cashless Adoption in Self-Serve Retail with a Milestone 250,000 Connections to its ePort Connect Service

June 4, 2014

MALVERN, PA. — USA Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: USAT), (“USAT”), a leader of wireless, cashless payment and M2M telemetry solutions for small-ticket, self-serve retailing industries, today announced that connections to its end-to-end ePort Connect® service crossed 250,000 during its fourth fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2014.

Stephen P. Herbert, chairman and chief executive officer of USAT, stated, “Achieving 250,000 connections is a meaningful milestone for USAT, as these connections support an approximate $50 million annualized run rate as they are fully realized in our revenues during the first half of fiscal year 2015. Thus, this milestone marks an important halfway point for USAT as we work toward our three to four year goals that include 500,000 connections and $100 million in total revenues.

“We are very grateful to our 6,600 plus customers whose loyalty and support have helped shape the turnkey, comprehensive and flexible nature of ePort Connect,” added Herbert. “Together, we are creating new ways of doing business in self-serve retail and creating what we believe to be a powerful, connected platform for future services.

“For example, in the last three years we have doubled the number of connections to our ePort Connect service by ardently working with our growing customer base—a base that we believe manages over 2 million potential connections—to demonstrate the multiple benefits of a cashless payment platform. In doing so, we have continued to minimize the cost of technology for our customers, while adding new features. We have developed an unmatched suite of core and value-added services, while also preparing customers for emerging trends in loyalty, mobile payment and integrated payment services. And, we made our services more accessible to adjacent markets beyond vending, such as laundry, kiosk, taxi and arcade.

“Given the depth and breadth of ePort Connect, the solid foundation of existing connections to our ePort Connect service and the record number of new connections achieved in our first three quarters of fiscal 2014, we believe our strategies aimed to accelerate adoption of cashless payment in our targeted markets are working, leaving us enthusiastic about the business as we prepare to close out fiscal 2014 and begin fiscal 2015,” concluded Herbert.

USAT’s ePort Connect service is a PCI-compliant suite of cashless payment and telemetry services specially tailored to fit the needs of self-serve retail industries. Designed to be a “one-stop shop,” services offered through ePort Connect include wireless and merchant account setup, simplified processing rates, settlement and reconciliation, 24 x 7 customer service and a host of value-added services including mobile payment, loyalty programs and integrated payment services for micro-markets and other POS devices.

[FUNMAN]

APPLE_MAY_BE_READY_FOR_MOBILE_PAYMENTS_WITH_NEW_IPHONE_6

Stephen | June 10, 2014 | Featured News, Mobile Payments, NFC Technology

There are two articles here.

This may create a whole new customer base for USAT of i-phone users with mobile wallets.


NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS THE FEATURES OF THE UPCOMING IPHONE 6

New information concerning the iPhone 6 has been released in a report from Venture Beat. The information comes from an as yet unidentified source that claims to have inside knowledge concerning Apple’s operations. The report adds fuel to the already widespread rumors concerning the forthcoming iPhone 6, such as its operating system, and its viability in mobile payments. Notably, the report suggests that the new iPhone will be equipped with NFC technology, which is something Apple has avoided in the past.

NEW IPHONE TO FINALLY SUPPORT NFC TECHNOLOGY

According to the report, the iPhone 6 will support NFC technology. Apple had been leery of the technology in the past because of security concerns regarding mobile payments. These concerns seem to have been allayed, however, as the company now believes that NFC may be suitable for a new form of commerce. The technology will allow the iPhone 6 to facilitate mobile payments and support a variety of mobile wallets and similar applications.

MOBILE SECURITY MAY BE LESS OF AN ISSUE THANKS TO BIOMETRIC TECHNOLOGY

The report notes that the iPhone 6 is slated for launch in fall of this year and will be equipped with the iOS 8 operating system. The device will feature wireless charging technology, a bigger and more durable screen, and several other hardware upgrades over its predecessor. The device will also be equipped with Apple’s new biometric sensors, which may be why the company is so keen to support NFC technology as biometrics will help made mobile payments more secure.

APPLE FINDS A SOLUTION TO ITS SECURITY CONCERNS REGARDING MOBILE PAYMENTS AND CONSUMER PROTECTION

Apple had opted not to rush into the emerging mobile money scene in order to avoid the pitfalls that other large companies have fallen victim to. Security has been a major issue in the mobile space and large companies have failed to find ways to sidestep some simple problems when it comes to providing consumers with protection against exploitation. With biometric technology, Apple may have found a way to alleviate the security problem.


Here’s What Apple’s Newly Opened Touch ID Will Do for Mobile Payments
NATHANAEL ARNOLD GOOGLE+ TWITTER | MORE ARTICLES
JUNE 08, 2014


Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) introduced many exciting new software features and improvements at its recently concluded Worldwide Developers Conference, including new Continuity and Extensibility features, several Siri enhancements, a HealthKit data storage platform, a Health app, a HomeKit software platform for home automation products, and an entirely new programming language called Swift. However, while Apple’s entry into the connected home market and the healthcare market were widely expected, one of the Cupertino-based company’s unexpected announcements was the opening up of its Touch ID authentication system to third-party developers.

Among the many other developer-end enhancements that Apple unveiled at the WWDC last week was a new Touch ID application programming interface (API). The new Touch ID API allows third-party apps to take advantage of this convenient biometric authentication system. While this API is available to all types of app creators, it may prove to be especially popular for mobile payments service providers[/b] such as eBay’s (NASDAQ:EBAY) PayPal or Square, since Touch ID eliminates the hassle of entering passwords to authenticate a purchase. This opens up a huge potential Apple user base for third-party mobile payment services, since the Touch ID system has been widely adopted by iPhone 5S owners.

As noted by Apple senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federighi at the WWDC, less than half (49 percent) of iPhone owners used a passcode before Touch ID was introduced. However, now 83 percent of iPhone 5S owners use a Touch ID/Passcode to secure their devices. In other words, convenience led to higher usage rates. It is quite likely then that the implementation of Touch ID for a mobile payments service will similarly boost the number of users who make purchases through their iPhones.

Although Apple won’t directly profit from the use of third-party mobile payment services on the iPhone, it will still have a beneficial spillover effect on Apple’s ecosystem. The convenience of a Touch ID-based payment system will drive more users to Apple’s iPhone and associated products even if Apple doesn’t receive a direct cut of a third party’s mobile payment transaction. The overall increase in users will also likely boost the sale of apps and other content that Apple is entitled to get a cut from. The quality of Apple’s fingerprint scanner and the company’s reputation for security may also make the iPhone more appealing as a mobile payments device over its competitors.

While Samsung (SSNLF.PK) Galaxy S5 users can authenticate payments with service providers like PayPal through the device’s fingerprint scanner, various tech reviewers have noted that Samsung’s system is harder to use than Apple’s Touch ID. Reviewers at The Verge called Samsung’s fingerprint scanner, “quite unreliable and virtually impossible to activate when holding the phone in one hand” and noted that “it was very particular about the speed and orientation of the swiping motion used — if we weren’t doing a perfectly straight swipe down, it would refuse to unlock the phone.”

Finally, although third-party apps will be able to use Touch ID as an authentication method, Apple will still protects users’ fingerprint data from outside parties by keeping the information stored in a separate secure enclave in the A7 processor. Over the past several months, multiple media outlets have reported rumors that Apple has been working on some type of new mobile payments service. While it is still not clear if Apple will eventually unveil its own native mobile payments service that will give it a direct cut of users’ transactions, the opening up of Touch ID will likely increase the overall usage of the iPhone as a mobile payments device. Either way, the new Touch ID API will be a boon for Apple and the overall mobile payments industry.