DUBLIN/LONDON Feb. 11, 2011 - AIB Merchant Services (AIBMS), a merchant acquiring joint venture between First Data Corporation and Allied Irish Banks p.l.c. (AIB), today announced that it achieved first place for "Best Merchant Acquiring Initiative" for itsAIBMS loyaltyplus solution at the 2011 Card & Payments Awards held in London, UK on February 3.

The Cards & Payments Awards are organised by Card Partnerships Limited with the intention of recognising best practice in the UK and Irish card and payment industries. Around 1,200 people from across the card and financial services industry attended the event and the entries were judged by an independent panel of 16 industry experts. AIBMS faced stiff competition in its category from many of the market leaders in card acquiring.

Selecting the AIBMS loyaltyplus solution for this award, the judges said, "We note the significant market uptake already achieved by this customer-friendly programme in Ireland and liked that all cardholders can benefit, irrespective of their card issuer, when shopping in all sizes of retailer using AIBMS as their acquirer."

AIBMS launched the AIBMS loyaltyplus solution – a low cost, points-based system which is integrated with AIB Merchant Services point of sale terminals – in July 2010. The solution enables merchants to gain an advantage over their competitors and cultivate loyalty by recognising, rewarding and communicating with their most valuable customers. As well as helping retailers to attract and retain customers, the solution features built-in research and marketing tools to enable users to communicate effectively with target customer groups.

The AIBMS loyaltyplus solution also utilises the ZapaTAG, from ZapaTechnology, a contactless tag that allows multiple loyalty cards to operate on a single tag to drive a points-based system, integrated with AIBMS point of sale terminals. This provides businesses with a customisable, low-cost, effective and easy-to-use loyalty programme to help generate recurring footfall. In addition, AIBMS loyaltyplus allows retailers to plan and execute short message service (SMS) campaigns directly with target customer groups.

Chris Mason, managing director of AIBMS said: "We developed this solution specifically with small to medium sized retail outlets and service providers in mind, to allow them to operate a loyalty programme on a par with larger retail chains. We have had great success with our pilot customers, who included a dog grooming service, a florist and a restaurant – proving indeed that AIBMS loyaltyplus is suitable for all types of shops and services."

AIBMS loyaltyplus is available to retailers in the UK and Ireland. To find out more about the solution go to www.aibms.com .

About AIB Merchant Services
AIB Merchant Services is one of Europe's largest providers of credit and debit card payment acceptance services with extensive operations in Ireland, the UK and throughout continental Europe. AIBMS is a joint venture between Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c., the market leader in financial services in the Republic of Ireland and First Data Corporation, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment processing.

AIB Merchant Services prides itself on working with merchants and businesses to understand their business requirements. We have the expertise to assist customers to decide on the most appropriate card payment solution for their business. To support this, AIB Merchant Services is continually investing in its card processing products and services to ensure customers have the best payment solutions available. For more information on AIB Merchant Services, please visit http://www.aibms.com

About First Data
Around the world, every second of every day, First Data makes payment transactions secure, fast and easy for merchants, financial institutions and their customers. First Data leverages its vast product portfolio and expertise to drive customer revenue and profitability. Whether the choice of payment is by debit or credit card, gift card, check or mobile phone, online or at the checkout counter, First Data takes every opportunity to go beyond the transaction.

About the Card & Payments Awards
The Card & Payments Awards aim to encourage best practice in the UK and Irish card and payment industries by recognising the achievements and successes of companies and individuals operating within them. The awards acknowledge organisations who advocate responsible customer acquisition, clarity of information and who support the community around them. Other award categories focus on technological developments, product design, innovation and marketing. The 2011 awards event was held on Thursday 3rd February 2011 at The Grosvenor House Hotel in London. Details of the Winners and Finalists are available on The Card & Payments Awards web site: www.cardandpaymentsawards.com

Contacts
Sharon Duffy
Marketing Manager
AIB Merchant Services
Tel: + 353 1 2182149
Mob: + 353 87 7915126
Email: sharon.duffy@aibms.com