CardLinx member Collinson launched a service at London’s Heathrow airport enabling passengers arriving from the US to get a free Covid-19 test. A negative result eliminates the government-imposed 14-day quarantine requirement for travelers arriving in the UK on select airlines from select US cities. CardLinx Insight: Collinson is built around delivering meaningful experiences for its clients’ customers—in this case for...

US Retail Sales Jump In June (But It Could Be the Last Increase for Some Time) Retail sales were up in May and June as economies reopened. A better-than-expected 7.5% jump in June, following a record-breaking 18.2% increase in sales in May, surpassed economists’ predictions. The rebound occurred after businesses reopened and pent-up demand for retail goods and services came...

New Clean Way to Pay: Mobile Wallets Surge on Covid 19 Fears Requiring no physical contact with merchant point-of-sale terminals, mobile wallets are increasingly viewed as a safer way to pay by consumers around the world. Fears that payment cards, cash and coins may be tainted with the coronavirus, and that touching in-store terminals might make shoppers sick, the use...

Expect the Unexpected in Covid-19’s Wake In the uncertainty that surrounds the coronavirus, Silvio Tavares, CEO of industry trade association Cardlinx, shared perspectives with member executives around the world. Among topics discussed? Travel’s stalled, with hotel occupancy at just 15% and properties slated to close; credit card use is down, impacting the U.S. and other countries where consumer spending accounts...

By Silvio Tavares, CEO, The CardLinx Association At a time like this, when our personal lives and professional lives are unexpectedly upended, it‘s tough to stay optimistic—and not lose sight of unseen opportunities. As we witness the enormous scale of death, sickness and suffering caused by Covid-19, it can be difficult to see the silver lining. But it is often...