ID Data has won a four-year multi-million pound contract through joint venture company TTi to supply EMV (Europay, MasterCard, Visa) cards and personalisation services to EDS for the UK Post Office card account.
The account is at the centre of Post Office plans for a universal banking service that will enable customers to continue collecting benefits in cash at local branches from April 2003. The Government will begin to pay all benefits directly into bank accounts from April 2003. These accounts will use PIN (personal identification number) technology at the counter and the card is based on the EMV standard for debit card transactions.
EDS won an outline eight-year contract to develop and support the card account at the Post Office and is providing the card, account administration and customer support services.
For an initial four-year period, ID Data Systems will handle the card production and personalisation for EDS and TTi - an Anglo-Japanese joint venture between ID Data, Toshiba and Toppan - will deliver the EMV payment solutions. Under the deal, TTi and EDS have the option to extend the contract if they so choose.