Press Release

 

June 12, 2006
Visa Announces Marketing Relationship With Verified Identity Pass' Clear™ To Help Speed Frequent Travelers Through Airport Security Checkpoints. Deal Extends Discounts for Clear™ Registered Traveler Program to Select Visa Signature and Visa Traditional Rewards Cardholders.

 

San Francisco - Visa USA today announced an agreement with Verified Identity Pass, Inc. ("Verified ID") to offer discounted memberships for Clear™, Verified ID's Registered Traveler Program, to select Visa Signature and Visa Traditional Rewards cardholders.

 

Clear members receive fast access through security checkpoints by verifying their biometric information in specially-designed Clear lines, enabling time-pressed travelers to quickly move through long lines and experience a more hassle-free travel experience. Members participate in a simple online enrollment process and provide identification and biometric data, such as fingerprints and iris images at Clear kiosks in participating airports. Following application approval, members receive a Clear card to access Clear lines in participating U.S. airports. As part of the agreement, the discounted membership rate will be offered to select Visa Signature and Visa Traditional Rewards cardholders in designated states through the Visa Incentive Network (VIN), a platform which allows Visa, acting on behalf of its member financial institutions, to provide interested cardholders with exclusive discounts and promotions from key merchant partners. The VIN will identify offer candidates from those cardholders who travel frequently to and from airports participating in the Verified ID program; Visa will mail the discount redemption offer directly to qualified cardholders.

 

Visa Signature is Visa's fast-growing, premium credit product designed to appeal to time-stretched, affluent customers, those with household incomes of $125K and higher. Visa Traditional Rewards is a mid-level rewards credit platform which enables Visa issuers to create better targeted, more compelling rewards-based credit offers for loyalty-driven consumers.

 

"Visa is constantly exploring innovative ways to bring the greatest value to cardholders and offer targeted benefits relevant to their individual lifestyles, interests and tastes," said Jim McCarthy, Senior Vice President, Visa USA. "With the Visa Incentive Network, our member financial institutions can accurately and effectively extend offers to those cardholders most likely to value a frequent traveler program, such as Clear, which in turn helps our merchant partners develop stronger relationships with customers and increase sales."

 

"In today's 24/7 world, Americans are looking to streamline all aspects of their lives — from a quicker trip through airport security to a more efficient way to make purchases. Our strategic partnership with Visa will help us stay competitive by reaching these time-stretched consumers more directly with a service that can make their lives easier," said Verified ID's Fred Fischer, Senior Vice President, Sales.

 

About Visa USA
Visa USA is the nation's leading payment brand and largest payment system, enabling banks to provide their consumers and business customers with a wide variety of payment alternatives tailored to meet their evolving needs. Visa USA is committed to increasing the choice, convenience, acceptance and security of Visa payments for all stakeholders in the payment system — members, cardholders and merchants. Through its 13,432 member financial institutions, more than 510 million Visa-branded cards have been issued to cardholders in the United States. Last year, U.S.-based financial institutions relied on Visa's processing system, VisaNet, to facilitate $1.6 trillion in transactions with unparalleled reliability.

Worldwide, cardholders in more than 150 countries carry more than 1 billion Visa-branded cards, accounting for more than $3 trillion in annual transaction volume.

Visa offers a trusted, reliable and convenient way to access and mobilize financial resources — anytime, anywhere, anyway.

 

Contact:
Jennifer Doidge
Visa USA
(415) 932-2350
jdoidge@visa.com

 

About Verified Identity Pass and Clear
Clear is the first privately run registered traveler program operating at a U.S. airport. Clear has been operational since July 19, 2005, at Orlando International Airport and today has over 25,000 members at that airport.

 

Clear has been selected by Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport, Indianapolis International Airport and Cincinnati International Airport to begin operations there upon approval from TSA expected this summer. Verified ID has an agreement with Toronto Pearson International Airport to operate a Canadian Program, working with Canadian authorities. In February, General Electric made a $16 million investment to become a partner in Verified Identity Pass.