BB&T kicks off contactless card pilot program

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Jan. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BB&T Corporation (NYSE: BBT) today said it has begun issuing BB&T Check Cards with the Visa(R) Contactless feature to select clients in Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., in a pilot program.

The Contactless BB&T Check Card speeds purchases by enabling clients to hold their card near a secure contactless card reader instead of handing it to a cashier or swiping it to make purchases at checkout. A chip in the card sends the payment information to the reader, which will indicate when the transaction is complete.

"Clients expect to be able to make fast, convenient and secure purchases. They get all of this along with the traditional features of the check card with the Contactless BB&T Check Card," said BB&T Deposit Access Products Manager Scott Qualls. "This technology provides a faster purchasing experience for both clients and merchants. We anticipate that the new contactless card will meet BB&T's goal of using innovative technology to support faster and more convenient access to their transaction accounts at the point of sale."

Cardholders receive the same security protections provided on the traditional BB&T Check Card, including BB&T's Zero Liability protection, three-digit security code (CVV) and industry-leading fraud monitoring. The contactless chip embedded in the card also generates a unique digital watermark for every purchase to prevent fraudulent contactless transactions. And the card never leaves the client's hand.

"BB&T's contactless program is great news for consumers who want to be able to use their Visa Check Card for small ticket purchases at convenience stores, fast food restaurants, gas stations or movie theaters," said Brian Triplett, senior vice president of Emerging Product Development at Visa USA. Contactless technology provides the speed and convenience that consumers are looking for when making every day, small ticket purchases."

The BB&T Check Card is accepted at more than 24 million Visa debit locations worldwide, 2,100 BB&T 24 ATMs and at all locations where the STAR(R), PLUS(R) or Interlink symbol is displayed. The contactless feature can be used at any of these locations that display the contactless symbol. The Contactless BB&T Check Cards will be personalized by the in-house bureau of Personix in St. Paul, Minn.

To learn more about contactless card features and find a list of participating merchants, visit http://www.visa.com/contactlesspayments.

Winston-Salem, N.C.-based BB&T Corporation and its subsidiaries offer full-service commercial and retail banking and additional financial services such as insurance, investments, retail brokerage, corporate finance, consumer finance, payment services, international banking, leasing and trust.

BB&T operates more than 1,450 financial centers in the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Indiana and Washington, D.C.

With $121.4 billion in assets, BB&T Corporation is the nation's 11th largest financial holding company. More information about the company is available at http://www.bbt.com/.

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