JCC Payment Systems, the credit card consortium owned by the banks has launched JCCsmart, its e-commerce service that hopefully will boost electronic shopping on the island.
For the first time, thousands of credit card users have the ability to pay their utility bills and shop online in a secure environment, saving time and money. The scheme will soon be extended to cover the police and municipalities so that the public will be able to pay their fines and taxes without the hassle to queue for hours and waste precious time and resources. The service also allows users to book places for conferences and seminars while soon it will be expanded to include service industry establishments, including fast food chains.
JCC have also concluded an agreement with a shipping agency, and the system features a built-in calculator that works out how much delivery will cost, based on the size and dimensions of the package and the delivery address.
JCC General Manager Takis Fekkos said Cyprus has been lagging too much behind in developing e-commerce solutions and through JCCsmart, it is hoped that the island will be able to catch up with the rest of the developed world. The system cost JCC about CYP 600,000 to develop and run, but it will be money well spent as more online stores join in and provide added services. Besides, JCC will collect its standard commission applied to credit card transactions.
JCCsmart and JCCepay through which utility, municipality, fees and other expenses may be paid as well as JCCevents, which can be used to book seminars and conferences all operate in a safe and secure environment.
The system uses 128-bit and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption, plus added protection through the Verified by Visa confirmation process.
To use Verified by Visa, you register your card once with your card issuer, and create your own password and Personal Assurance Message. Then, when you make purchases at participating online stores, a Verified by Visa window will appear. You Simply enter your password and click “submit.” Your identity is verified and the purchase is secure.
As an incentive, participating businesses will pay a mere CYP 10 a month fee, and those joining now will save on the CYP 200 registration fee, which JCC is waiving until the end of the year.
More information can be found on JCC’s website at http://www.jccsmart.com/.
