PRINCETON, N.J. -- (Business Wire)

Heartland Payment Systems^® (NYSE: HPY) Campus Solutions division, in partnership with Bridgeway Solutions, Inc., has been chosen as one of South Carolina’s preferred system providers for rapid, electronic disbursement of financial aid refunds and payments to students.

This agreement enables South Carolina state colleges and universities to contract with Heartland Payment Systems’ partner Bridgeway for Heartland’s Acceluraid™ electronic financial aid disbursement product without having to issue a request for proposal as is traditionally required by the state.

Whether chosen as a standalone solution or integrated with Heartland’s complete Campus OneCard System, Acceluraid simplifies a campus’ refund process by eliminating paper checks, increasing operational efficiencies, and reducing the costs, delays and operational hurdles typically associated with financial aid disbursement. Student benefits include faster and more convenient access to financial aid funds without being charged pin debit and other fees, unlike many competing products in the marketplace.

Students also receive a school-branded Discover^® prepaid debit card that is issued by Oklahoma-based Central National Bank. Upon activation, students’ financial aid funds are automatically deposited to the card and they can then use their funds anywhere Discover is accepted, including many attended or unattended campus services such as dining, vending, printing, bookstore and more, as well as for online bill pay, and free withdrawals from Heartland ATMs placed on campuses.

“This contract expansion makes it simpler for South Carolina state colleges and universities to move straight to contract with us for a smooth and swift transition away from paper checks and higher cost refund services,” said Ron Farmer, executive director of campus solutions and micropayments for Heartland Payment Systems, one of the nation’s largest payments processors. “At the core of this agreement is Heartland’s commitment to helping students while providing South Carolina higher education institutions with cost-effective payments processing, unique campus card programs, and state-of-the-art electronic financial aid disbursement services.”

About Heartland Payment Systems

Heartland Payment Systems, Inc. (NYSE: HPY), the fifth largest payments processor in the United States, delivers credit/debit/prepaid card processing, gift marketing and loyalty programs, payroll and related business solutions to more than 250,000 business locations nationwide. A FORTUNE 1000 company, Heartland is the founding supporter of The Merchant Bill of Rights, a public advocacy initiative that educates merchants about fair credit and debit card processing practices. The company is also a leader in the development of end-to-end encryption technology designed to protect cardholder data, rendering it useless to cybercriminals. For more detailed information, visit HeartlandPaymentSystems.com or follow the company on Twitter @HeartlandHPY and Facebook at facebook.com/HeartlandHPY.

About Bridgeway Solutions, Inc.

Bridgeway Solutions, Inc. is a full service identification and security solutions provider serving selected counties across the Carolinas and Georgia. For more than 30 years, Bridgeway Solutions has specialized in client-specific ID solutions, factory trained and authorized on-site service, and dedicated customer support. Bridgeway Solutions is a member of the Identification Systems Group (ISG), a nationwide group of regional providers with unmatched expertise in identification and card personalization applications.

Contacts:

Heartland Payment Systems
Michael J. LaCosta
Director of Public Relations
1-888-798-3131, ex. 2245
michael.lacosta@e-hps.com
or
Vault Communications
Leanne Scott Brown
610-455-2742
LBrown@VaultCommunications.com

Source: Heartland Payment Systems, Inc.