Canadians can boost their charitable giving with Visa payWave It Forward

Visa survey shows 56 per cent of Canadians wish they could give more to charity

TORONTO, Aug. 19, 2013 /CNW/ - Canadians are passionate about giving back to communities and causes they care about, and they are looking for ways to extend the reach of their support. According to a survey commissioned by Visa Canada, 71 per cent of Canadians donated money to charity last year, but over half (56 per cent) wish they could have given more.

To help Canadians contribute even more, Visa Canada and three key retailers are teaming up to support charities with the Visa payWave It Forward program. For a set period at participating retailers, for every payment made with Visa payWave, Visa will donate one dollar to the retailer's charity of choice (up to a maximum donation amount). Full details of the donation program are available at www.visa.ca.

"We're excited to work with these retailers to help Canadians find innovative ways to give back to the charities they care about and are proud to support," said Sue Whitney, Head of New Products, Visa Canada. "By participating in Visa payWave It Forward, cardholders can help one of these worthy causes across the country without having to reach into their own pockets."

Canadians can take part in Visa payWave It Forward at the following participating retailers:

According to the survey, 3-in-4 (75 per cent) Canadians feel that lack of funds is the largest obstacle for donating more money to charity. The Visa payWave It Forward promotion gives Canadians the chance to give a little more without donating their own money.

Among those Canadians who wished they could donate more, almost 1-in-4 (24 per cent) say they'd give more if they had a more convenient way to donate. With Visa payWave It Forward, cardholders can simply "wave and go" to make their payment and trigger the associated donation, without needing to key in a PIN, sign a receipt or look for change.

Canadians also find different ways to give back to charities - they donate clothes or other items (79 per cent), volunteer for a charity or a cause (41 per cent), and share information about a charity or a cause on social networks (28 per cent). During the Visa payWave It Forward program, cardholders can also give more without spending more by paying with Visa payWave. Cardholders are invited to share their experiences with Visa payWave It Forward on their social networks using the hashtag #VisapayWaveitForward.

Visa payWave technology

Visa payWave card-based and mobile-based transactions employ EMV chip technology, which uses advanced cryptographic security to generate a code that changes for every contactless transaction, helping prevent counterfeit fraud from stolen account data. When a customer uses a Visa payWave terminal, the card or mobile device and the terminal exchange security information and the transaction is completed, all in less than one-third of a second. The cardholder does not need to insert or swipe a card or let it out of their possession, keeping the transaction quick and secure.

Visa employs a layered approach to its fraud prevention efforts, including Zero Liability, which protects card holders against fraud if a stolen Visa card is used to purchase goods in person, online, by mail or by phone. For more information about Visa's Zero Liability Policy, visit www.visa.ca.

About Visa

Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world's most advanced processing networks—VisaNet—that is capable of handling more than 24,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.

About Pollara

Founded in 1985, Pollara Strategic Insights is one of Canada's premier public opinion and marketing research firms, providing clients with deep understanding, insightful ongoing counsel, actionable recommendations, and bulletproof accuracy. Pollara is Canadian-owned, with offices in Toronto and Vancouver.

The survey was fielded online by Pollara between August 12^th and 14^th with a sample of 1,000 Canadians. A probability sample of this size would yield results accurate to +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20.

SOURCE: VISA Canada Corporation