AccountNow and MoneyGram Named Winner in Fourth Annual Paybefore Awards

San Ramon, California (PRWEB) February 4, 2010 -- Paybefore has chosen MoneyGram AccountNow Prepaid Visa Debit Card as a Paybefore Awards winner in the Best Third-Party Prepaid Product Retail Program Paybefore Awards, now in their fourth year, are the most prestigious recognition of excellence in the worldwide prepaid and stored value card industry. They are presented annually by Prepaid Media, whose Paybefore publications are the leading source of industry information for the global prepaid community.

“AccountNow is proud to have built this product with a great partner with a great brand. We look forward to continuing to work with MoneyGram to provide additional innovative services to prepaid customers.” said James G. Jones, Chief Executive Officer of AccountNow (http://www.accountnow.com).

“We’re pleased to be selected for this award that recognizes our enhanced product offering for retailers,” said Tim Summers, general manager of consumer products – Americas. “We’ve been in the marketplace about six months and hundreds of agents are offering the cards. While these cards are available at select locations, they can be reloaded across our network of 40,000 U.S. agent locations.”

MoneyGram (http://www.accountnow.com/services/deposit-moneygram.aspx) AccountNow Prepaid Visa Debit Card was selected by a panel of five industry experts who served as judges for this year’s competition. A record number of entries from around the world were received.

“Paybefore applauds the leaders in our industry who are applying the flexibility and appeal of prepaid to innovate on behalf of consumers, governments and businesses,” said Marilyn Bochicchio, Paybefore CEO and chair of the judging panel.

“AccountNow and MoneyGram has distinguished itself in a tough field of competition,” she continued. “We are proud to recognize its contributions to advancing the use of prepaid products.”

The MoneyGram AccountNow Prepaid Visa Debit Card Program was launched in August 2009 to provide a new MoneyGram, AccountNow and Visa-branded prepaid card (http://www.accountnow.com/prepaid-card/) at select MoneyGram agent locations, replacing their previous prepaid card program. As the program manager and a leader in the prepaid market, AccountNow brings to the partnership expertise in best practices for customer service, customer retention and marketing of prepaid cards. AccountNow’s prepaid offering is the perfect addition to MoneyGram’s extensive suite of products serving underbanked consumers with a low-cost and convenient way to complete financial transactions such as bill payment and money transfer.

MoneyGram AccountNow Prepaid Visa Debit Card now will vie for best-in-category distinction, which will be announced during the Paybefore Awards ceremony on Feb. 22 at the Prepaid Expo USA (www.prepaidexpousa.com).

About AccountNow: AccountNow, headquartered in San Ramon, California, is a leading provider of financial solutions for the 40 million US consumers who do not have established credit or traditional banking relationships. AccountNow’s money saving offers give consumers an alternative to traditional checking accounts by providing access to financial products and payment systems, including MasterCard and Visa prepaid cards, Pay Anyone Bill Payment, and FDIC-insured deposits. AccountNow’s prepaid Visa (http://www.accountnow.com/) and MasterCard cards are issued by MetaBank and Palm Desert National Bank. Visit AccountNow online at www.accountnow.com

About MoneyGram International: MoneyGram International offers more control and more choices for people separated from friends and family by distance or those with limited bank relationships to meet their financial needs. A leading global provider of money transfer services, MoneyGram International helps consumers to safely send money around the world with funds arriving at available agent locations in as little as 10 minutes. Its global network is comprised of 186,000 agent locations in more than 190 countries and territories. MoneyGram’s convenient and reliable network includes retailers, international post offices and financial institutions. To learn more about money transfer at an agent location, please visit www.moneygram.com or follow us on Facebook.

About MetaBank™:

MetaBank is a federally-chartered savings bank regulated by the Office of Thrift Supervision. Meta Financial Group, Inc.® is the holding company for MetaBank, Meta Payment Systems®, and Meta Trust Company®. For more information visit www.bankmeta.com.

About Paybefore: Paybefore is the leading information provider to prepaid and stored value industry professionals, offering the latest news, commentary and analysis. Paybefore’s family of industry publications include: Paybefore.com™, a searchable online information portal; Paybefore News™, daily news briefs delivered electronically; Paybefore News International™, a weekly compilation of prepaid news and events from outside the United States; Paybefore Update™, a downloadable enewsletter delivered 20 times a year; Paybefore Legal™, a downloadable enewsletter covering the legislative, regulatory and judicial developments in prepaid, as well as feature articles by leading attorneys in the field; Paybefore Magazine™, a biannual print publication highlighting the best of Paybefore; and Paybefore Buyer’s Guide™, available online and in print. Visit us at www.paybefore.com.

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