Discover Network is a business unit of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS).

In addition to USA Technologies' integration of Discover Network Zip technology into its readers, Discover Network also has purchased 1000 ePort cashless systems for vending. Discover expects to deploy the systems by the end of this month.

The terminals connected USA Technologies' network, which are expected to be deployed in vending machines in major cities nationwide, accept all major credit cards (Discover, American Express, MasterCard, and Visa) both traditional magnetic swipe credit cards and contactless cards and other NFC devices.

"Discover is aware of the recent successes and the accelerated adoption of credit and debit acceptance in the vending industry. They are one of the first credit card companies to break into the $46 billion industry in North America utilizing USA Technologies' ePort technology," said Wendy Jenkins, vice president of marketing, USA Technologies Inc. "Discover has a reputation for pursuing more convenient ways to make shopping easier for their customers, and we are delighted to be working with them to provide their customers the ability to use their Discover Network cards when making purchases from vending machines," she said.

"Discover Network is committed to supporting credit and debit payment technology in vending applications," said Beth Horowitz, vice president of product management for Discover Financial Services. "Our goal is to build upon our payment strengths so we can deliver an even wider and more simplified customer purchasing experience for Discover Network cardholders. Working with USA Technologies helps us achieve that goal."

Studies have shown that ePort has resulted in a 32 percent increase in average ticket sales in some markets, generating increased revenue streams, while improving efficiency, productivity and security for operators through online auditing and monitoring.

"Most significantly, ePort improves customer satisfaction, overcoming the need for consumers to carry change, and it accepts all forms of cashless payment, current and emerging, including Near Field Communications (NFC) which allows consumers to make purchases with their cellular phones," said Ms Jenkins.