As we approach the 2024 U.S. presidential election, an unexpected bipartisan agreement has surfaced: Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump support exempting tips from federal income tax. This policy proposal is gaining traction in key battleground states like Nevada, where service industry workers are a significant voting bloc. As the discussion intensifies, […]
As the digital landscape continues to reshape consumer behavior, one payment option has been gaining significant traction among younger shoppers in North America: Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL). This payment method allows customers to make purchases and pay in installments, often without interest. It’s not just a passing trend—it’s a revolution in the way people, […]
When social media first hit the scene, few would have expected the central role it would play in any company’s marketing strategy. What started as a hangout for angsty college kids, then angsty teens, then everyone else, has become a ubiquitous tool for connecting and sharing information. That tool is especially powerful for companies looking […]
During COVID, QR codes felt like a godsend. Rather than a menu that you didn’t really know had been wiped down, a QR code gave you a truly contactless experience. In the years since, QR codes have stuck around, while our fears of contagion have not. A Morning Scan over Coffee: Convenient or Clunky? Scanning […]
Paying just gets easier, cooler, and more futuristic as the years go by. For decades, the payment space was relatively static; people paid with plastic, cash, or the occasional check. Today, customers have a bounty of options to stylishly pay for goods and services. One option, attractive for its convenience and cool factor, is the […]
Recently, I was renting a bicycle in a quiet midwestern town when I came face to face with a device I hadn’t seen in roughly twenty years. “We just need to take a copy for security, and then we’ll throw it away when you come back to pay,” the employee assured me. I handed her […]
Tipping has a fascinating history in American culture, dating back to the years following the Civil War. Though the practice comes from medieval Europe, the US has one of the strongest tipping cultures in the world today. In 2024, though, a growing number of Americans are finding gratuities, well, gratuitous. The Dreaded Question A woman […]
Before the massive network of member-owners and happy merchants, before booking over $10 billion in annual payment volume, and before rolling out some of the industry’s most sophisticated and seamless payment and CRM solutions in the industry, we knew we were special. COCARD has been a leader in payment processing since its inception, long before […]
For many, 2023 was a year of fear. Stubborn inflation, recession worries, and international conflict hung like a cloud over the US and the rest of the world. Despite a gloomy backdrop, the US economy proved more resilient than many expected, and there’s a stronger sense of optimism in 2024’s business outlook than there was […]