Torontonians Have an Appetite for a New Kind of Food Revolution: Cashless Payments

AwesTRUCK First Food Truck Event in Canada to Accept Credit Cards

TORONTO, Sept. 7, 2012 /CNW/ - MasterCard Canada and Moneris Solutions® are feeding Torontonians' hunger for cashless payment options. On Sunday, September 9th from 2:00 - 9:00 p.m. at Evergreen Brick Works, Moneris Solution's PAYD™ mobile solution will allow vendors to accept credit cards, such as MasterCard, and make AwesTRUCK 2012 Canada's first-ever Food Truck event to accept mobile payments.

The AwesTRUCK 2012 event is the inaugural awards ceremony that recognizes the culinary creativity of Ontario Food Trucks and celebrates Canada's growing street food scene. The event will feature 16 participating food trucks and vendors will have the ability to accept MasterCard and other credit card payments from the nearly 2,000 expected foodies.

"PAYD allows merchants to swipe credit cards on the spot on a smartphone or tablet, eliminating the need to hold and deposit cash, while providing customers with a convenient payment method," said Malcolm Fowler, Vice-President, Marketing, Moneris. "As Toronto's leading mobile culinary event, Moneris is proud to partner with MasterCard to make AwesTRUCK a truly mobile experience."

Earlier this year, the MasterCard Mobile Readiness Index ranked Canada as the second-best of 34 global markets in terms of being ready to embrace mobile transactions. The report found that Canadians have an appetite to embrace next generation payment options and with a near ready infrastructure, the only ingredient is the device penetration. Mobile solutions, such as PAYD, help to address this concern and connect the dots in the payment space.

"It's about giving consumers and merchants a smart, simple, safe alternative to cash," said Richard McLaughlin, SVP Global Products & Solutions, MasterCard Canada. "This event is the perfect example of the types of mobile payment options Canadians desire and how small business can reap the benefits."

The PAYD mobile solution offers small businesses the ability to process credit card payments using their smartphone or tablet devices. The PAYD card reader plugs into the audio port of Apple® iOS, Android™, and BlackBerry® devices. The PAYD mobile solution is backed by the security of Moneris' existing web-based payment processing platform - allowing merchants to access their accounts, transactions and history in a secure manner.

Food Truck owners such as chef Adam Hynam-Smith and partner Tamara Jensen from El Gastrónomo Vagabundo, believe that mobile payments will make it easier to attract more customers and drive business results.

"The key for me as a small business owner is that no matter where I park my food truck, I can serve customers efficiently and give them the choice and flexibility that they want when they are paying," said Jensen. "Technology is changing the way we do business and it's great to be able to offer innovations that help me to reach more customers and grow my business."

About Moneris Solutions
As one of North America's largest providers of payment processing solutions, Moneris offers credit, debit, wireless and online payment services for merchants in virtually every industry segment and processes more than three billion transactions annually. Moneris also offers electronic loyalty and stored-value gift card programs. With more than 350,000 merchant locations, Moneris provides the hardware, software and systems needed to improve business efficiency and manage payments. For more information please visit www.moneris.com.

About MasterCard
MasterCard NYSE: MA, www.mastercard.com, is a global payments and technology company. It operates the world's fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard's products and solutions make everyday commerce activities - such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances - easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MasterCardNews, join the discussion on the Cashless Conversations Blog and subscribe for the latest news.

For more information, visit MasterCard Canada's Facebook page or follow @MasterCardCa on Twitter.

SOURCE: MasterCard Canada

Sebastian Gatica
Environics Communications
[email protected]
416-969-2768

Natasha Dos Santos
MAVERICK Public Relations
[email protected]
416-640-5525 ext. 248