PCS Prepaid MasterCard Triumph at 2011 Prepaid365 Card Awards

LONDON, April 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The team at PCS rounded off an impressive few months with recognition at the 2011 Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards by winning the Best International Prepaid Card category. The first of its kind in France the product has received widespread media coverage and consumer interest since its inception.

The PCS MasterCard launched in December 2010 has been developed specifically for the unbanked and underbanked demographic however the demand for the product would indicate that online shoppers, young people and frequent travellers have quickly come to recognise the benefits of this card. The card is currently available for purchase in 20,000 merchants throughout France.

The card can be loaded with cash in store and also using pre-printed vouchers in EUR20, EUR50 and EUR100 denominations. Customers who wish to purchase the card do not need to complete any time consuming documentation or undergo credit checks. They can simply pick up a card in store, retrieve their PIN using a simple SMS command, load it with cash at the counter and begin spending immediately, thereby providing instant online spending capability to the large unbanked community in France.

Philip Aim, CEO of CreaCard expressed his delight with the result stating: "We are extremely proud to have launched the first prepaid card in France, but much more proud to receive this consumer award at the Prepaid365 Awards, which for us is primarily the recognition of a successful project that's both secure and reliable. We hope that the French market for prepaid will grow successfully for PCS products and that our customers will find in this product an alternative to traditional means of payment, with additional services that will enrich the offer in the coming weeks."

Noel Moran, CEO of Prepaid Financial Services Ltd, the programme manager of the PCS Prepaid Card, comments: "We are delighted that the PCS MasterCard has been recognised as the Best International Prepaid Card.  For this programme, PFS created a custom built instant issue Prepaid platform which combines the capacity to load cash in store, voucher top up, unique SMS functionality for card management, real time back office reporting and inventory management."

Amit Sharma, CEO and founder of leading prepaid comparison site Prepaid365 and the Prepaid365 Awards stated that: "The consumer prepaid card market in France is still in its infancy in stark contrast to the UK but the success of the PCS MasterCard seems to indicate that the market for prepaid is growing rapidly and there is a tremendous appetite for prepaid in France. PFS and PCS are well positioned to take advantage of that demand."

The PCS MasterCard combines a payment card with innovative and cutting edge loading and card management facilities providing low cost access to online payments.

All Press Enquires should be directed to Prepaid Financial Services at

• Tel:  +44 (0)207 125 0321
• Email:  [email protected]
• Website:  https://www.prepaidfinancialservices.com  

Prepaid Financial Services

Prepaid Financial Services (PFS) is a prepaid Program Manager, headquartered in London, delivering prepaid card programs in many different geographic markets for banks, processors and clients. Founded in 2007 PFS has launched programs for clients including Foreign Currency cards, Money Remittance, Travel, Payroll, Corporate expenses solutions, Commission payouts and Social and Benefit Payments. The flexibility of the scalable PFS Middleware platform and its ability to interface into multiple processors, third parties and vendors allows the company to be innovative and robust.

For further information, please contact:

• Website:  https://www.prepaidfinancialservices.com

PCS MasterCard

CreaCard is a limited company with capital of 224 000 euros founded by Philip Aim and Philippe Boulakia in early 2010. Since its inception, the company has raised more than one million euros, including the development of its prepaid card PCS (R) MasterCard (R).

After more than 10 year career in international finance and telecom, Philip Aim and Philippe Boulakia had the idea of giving everyone the opportunity to make a payment which is simple, modern, economic and accepted everywhere!

To give substance to the concept PCS (R) (Prepaid Cash Services) CreaCard moved closer to a major European bank and MasterCard (R) and now offers a solution for prepaid card which is solid, credible and fully secure, with reliable partners and with a rapidly growing profile.

PCS(R) is a registered trademark of CreaCard.

• Website: http://www.pcs-card.com

Prepaid365 - The Prepaid Card Comparison Portal

Prepaid365 is the UK's leading prepaid card portal online to review, compare and buy prepaid credit cards representing an encyclopaedia of information on prepaid cards, providers and all things prepaid.

The annual Prepaid365 awards, launched in 2009, recognise best in class prepaid propositions and prepaid card providers voted for by consumers and Prepaid365's subject matter experts, respectively with the awards being based on various factors including application process, card design, fee structure, features, functionality, added value and feedback from customer, customer services and the prepaid industry. Visit Prepaid365 to find out more prepaid credit cards, prepaid MasterCard and visa prepaid cards as well as the Prepaid365 Awards and the winners.

Prepaid365 is a trading name of Emotion Associates Limited - UK Registration Number: 06964513

For further information, please contact:

• Website: http://www.prepaid365.com

SOURCE Emotion Associates Limited