American Express Canada continues expansion of small merchant network

Elavon Canada is the newest acquirer to join the OptBlue Program, making it simpler for small businesses to do business with American Express

TORONTO, Nov. 17, 2016 /CNW/ - American Express Canada today announces that Elavon Canada is the latest acquirer to sign on to its OptBlue program. OptBlue enables third-party acquirers to sign up Small Merchants to accept American Express Cards.  Partnering with Elavon progresses American Express' strategy of capturing more of its Cardmembers spending at small and locally-owned businesses.

"We're continuously focused on expanding our American Express network in Canada, especially among Small Businesses," said Kerri-Ann Santaguida, Vice-President & General Manager, Merchant Services, American Express Canada. "Partnering with Elavon will allow us to solidify an even broader presence among local businesses."

OptBlue is a one-stop servicing solution that allows third-party acquirers to provide Small Merchants the benefit of a single statement, one settlement process and one point of contact for all major card brands, including American Express. Additionally, third party acquirers determine merchant pricing in addition to providing payment processing and servicing.

"Elavon helps organizations drive growth by processing payments, and the OptBlue program will help us ensure that our small business owners have a simplified merchant card acceptance experience with American Express," said Mia Huntington, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Elavon Canada. "Through OptBlue, we're excited to be able to provide an enhanced experience for our business customers."

OptBlue was initially launched in the United States in early 2014. The program was launched in Canada in June 2015.

About American Express in Canada      
American Express in Canada operates as Amex Bank of Canada and Amex Canada Inc. Both are wholly owned subsidiaries of the New York based American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc., the largest operating unit of the American Express Company. Amex Bank of Canada is the issuer of American Express charge and credit cards, with outstanding products like The SimplyCash ™ Card from American Express ©, The American Express® Gold Rewards Card, and the American Express® AeroplanPlus® Gold Card. American Express opened its first offices in Toronto and Hamilton in 1853 and now employs approximately 3,000  Canadians coast-to-coast. For more information, visit AmericanExpress.ca or connect with us at Facebook.com/AmericanExpressCanada and YouTube.com/AmericanExpressCAD.

About Elavon
Elavon is an independent card payments specialist owned by U.S. Bank, the fifth-largest bank in the United States, and provides end-to-end payment processing solutions and services to more than 1.3 million customers in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. As the #1 provider for airlines and a top five provider for hospitality, healthcare, retail, and public sector/education, Elavon's innovative payment solutions are designed to solve pain points for businesses from small to enterprise-sized. Learn more at www.elavon.ca  and follow us on Twitter: @elavon.

SOURCE American Express Canada

Jennifer Beckstead, American Express Canada, [email protected], 437-836-6856