White Eagle (Europe) Plc, in partnership with Newcastle Building Society has once again been shortlisted for a number of prestigious industry awards at the forthcoming Card Awards 2010.

The Freedom Eagle Cash Card - Prepaid MasterCard® has been shortlisted in the following categories:

• Best Card Design of the Year
• Best Prepaid Card Product of the Year
• Best Prepaid Marketing Campaign of the Year

Warren Hardy, Founder & CEO comments “We are absolutely delighted to have once again been shortlisted for these prestigious industry awards. The Freedom Eagle Cash Card was launched in February this year and is fast becoming one of the leading prepaid cards in the market. Feedback from customers has been positive and many are utilizing the many value added benefits extended to cardholders, such as cashback deals, purchase protection, credit booster and great exchange rates for sending money overseas.

White Eagle will continue to innovate and pioneer new value added products and services in the prepaid industry with many exciting new developments planned for 2010.”

White Eagle (Europe) Plc, a leading global prepaid solutions provider today announces the launch of the GO: Prepaid MasterCard - a general spend card which is loaded directly with Government benefits.

The GO: Prepaid MasterCard is a flexible, re-loadable prepaid card with chip and PIN security which can also be used for free and instant money share with the addition of a Companion Card.

The card programme was made possible with the technical expertise of White Eagle. Philippe Hardy, UK Sales Director of White Eagle comments: “Go Money’s professional and entrepreneurial approach will make this card programme a huge success. They have thought through what their customers want out of a Prepaid card and have made the process simple and good value with great benefits to their customer to give them financial inclusion.”

The White Eagle platform allows the users of this card to retrieve their PIN over an IVR (interactive voice recognition) solution, activate their card, check their balance, lock and unlock their card any time via their mobile phones using SMS.

Steve Tobin, Director of Go Money commented, “We are all very excited at GO: Card because we feel that we have the card to really facilitate increased levels of previously financial excluded customers who will have greater card functionality than they are at present afforded. The prepaid industry has only scratched the surface of its intrinsic and emerging capabilities and we see it simply as “the” tool to enable financial inclusion throughout the UK for customers in receipt of benefit and low wages who couldn’t until now obtain a prepaid card through the usual channels or even a basic bank account with MasterCard/Visa functionality.”

www.mygocard.co.uk

White Eagle (Europe) Plc is celebrating yet more wins for the White Eagle Prepaid Maestro® Card, at the Prepaid365 Prepaid Card Awards 2009. The White Eagle Card was awarded “Best Money Transfer Prepaid Card” and “Best Payroll and Expenses Prepaid Card”.

The White Eagle Prepaid Maestro Card was also awarded second place for the “Best Unbanked Prepaid Card”. The Freedom Eagle Cash Card – Prepaid MasterCard® was awarded a worthy mention for, “Best General Purpose Prepaid Card” and “Best Unbanked Prepaid Card”.

Aashish Sharma, Operations Director at Prepaid365 commented “It is not surprising that a number of programmes launched by White Eagle were either category winners or runners up. White Eagle has quickly established itself at the forefront of the prepaid card industry in the UK and continues to lead the way with regards to innovation and best practice. We expect to see even more programmes launched by White Eagle to feature in the next edition of the Awards”

The awards were based on the following factors, namely:

• Application Process
• Best Practice commitment
• Customer Services Feedback
• Distribution Network
• Ease of Application
• Marketing Appeal
• Product design
• Programme Performance

Amit Sharma, CEO Emotion Associates and a leading prepaid card consultant commented, “Having worked for a number of prepaid card programme managers in the UK, I can safely say that White Eagle are well positioned to dominate the market based on their commitment to best practice and innovation. Where numerous others have failed due to poor infrastructure and unclear consumer propositions, White Eagle have dared to succeed by focussing on the simple idea of providing better value to the consumer. As they say – Where Eagles Dare….’’

“I am pleased to accept these awards on behalf of the team at White Eagle. We are passionate about delivering an exceptional service and to be recognised in this way, increases out determination to produce and deliver quality products to meet the needs of our customer,” commented Warren Hardy, Founder & CEO of White Eagle (Europe) Plc.

Ceridian, one of the largest providers of human resource services in the UK, has appointed White Eagle (Europe) Plc to provide a new payroll programme – the Ceridian Evolution payroll Prepaid MasterCard®, issued by Newcastle Building Society.

Designed to give Ceridian’s UK clients the flexibility to pay their employees who do not have access to bank accounts, the Ceridian Evolution payroll card can eliminate the need to issue cheques or cash.

Through providing financial freedom to employees, the Ceridian Evolution payroll card also helps to improve staff retention. Bonuses or cash rewards can easily be loaded on to the card in addition to wages and the system can be set up in less than 24 hours, using existing employee data.

Doug Sawers, managing director of Ceridian in the UK, said: “At Ceridian we are always looking for new ways to support our customers and strive to offer the most innovative payroll solutions in the industry. Working with White Eagle to deliver the Ceridian Evolution payroll card is a natural extension of the comprehensive HR and payroll services we already offer in the UK.

White Eagle’s industry expertise and complementary prepaid card technology made them ideal partners for the Ceridian Evolution payroll card. I look forward to offering our customers increased flexibility and an enhanced employee experience with this service.”

“Working with a leading UK HR and payroll organisation to deliver a market leading payroll card is extremely exciting” says Warren Hardy, founder and CEO of White Eagle (Europe) Plc. “The Ceridian Evolution payroll card is not only a great benefit to their clients but also to their employees. Philippe Hardy, UK Sales Director, continued “The use of prepaid cards in this sector is predicted to rise to 5% of the market by 2010.”

Savings on payroll processing costs and administration time are considerable with the new programme. The Ceridian Evolution payroll card is estimated to save up to 75% in administration fees when compared to cheque processing and, as cheques don’t have to be managed, posted or delivered, administration is also reduced. In addition, there is an increase in productivity as employees don’t have to stop work to receive or cash cheques. Everything is done electronically with wages being loaded onto individual cards, which also provides an element of added security.

White Eagle has once again become a finalist in two categories at the forthcoming Prepaid Awards 09.

The two category nominations are:

• Best Prepaid Marketing – for the Freedom Eagle Cash Card – Prepaid MasterCard®
• Best Prepaid Programme Manager – for Eagle Prepaid, the Programme Management division of White Eagle (Europe) Plc.

Warren Hardy, Founder & CEO comments “We are absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted as finalists for these prestigious industry awards. White Eagle will continue to innovate and pioneer new value added products and services in the prepaid industry with many exciting new developments planned for 2010.”

HSBC Bank plc has appointed White Eagle (Europe) Plc to deliver an internal prepaid card programme for its colleague recognition programme in the UK.

Stewart Pyke, Shine Programme Manager at HSBC Bank comments “The Shine programme is for HSBC to recognise colleagues who ‘have gone the extra mile’ for customers in the UK. A prepaid card allows recognition awards to be purchased locally in a way that promotes economies of scale, flexibility, spontaneity and employee engagement. As a by-product, the prepaid card technology enables insight and a measure of control over how, where and when recognition awards are being made. These are important drivers in today’s climate.”

He adds “When HSBC decided to launch this programme, we researched the market and undertook a rigorous selection process to find our preferred partner. White Eagle demonstrated they had the knowledge and desire to partner with us for this project”.

David Carr, Director of Card Services at White Eagle (Europe) Plc adds “we believe that this programme will enhance the experience of all staff involved in the Shine scheme.”

Warren Hardy Founder and CEO of White Eagle adds “providing prepaid services for HSBC Bank, one of the largest banks in the world, illustrates how far the prepaid industry has developed as a whole, and further demonstrates White Eagle’s market leading position in the Prepaid and Digital Payments Industry”.

Wizz Air, the largest low cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, is now to sell the Freedom MasterCard to customers flying to the UK from Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Ukraine, Romania, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.

The Freedom Pay As You Go MasterCard is a retail instant issue, fully re-loadable, embossed Prepaid MasterCard with chip & PIN security that enables users to make purchases without filling in any forms, undergoing any credit checks or having a bank account, making it an extremely flexible way of spending. It is a great way of transferring money at a low cost and offers excellent exchange rates when used abroad.

The Freedom MasterCard is a ‘must have’ for budget conscious travellers and those who travel to live and work in the UK. It also makes the ideal gift for friends and family who reside in the UK. Customers will be able to use an activated card to make purchases onboard the flight, and also use it for shopping in the destination country. Also, if customers book Wizz Air tickets online using their Freedom MasterCard, they do not pay a booking fee and will also save £4 per passenger per one-way travel . The Freedom Card is accepted worldwide, at over 28.5 million locations and at 1.5 million ATMs which display the MasterCard Acceptance Mark.

’We are delighted to be offering more add-on services to our customers. The ever growing choice of services, the comfort of the brand new Airbus A320 aircraft coupled with low fares makes Wizz Air the airline of choice to and from Central and Eastern Europe.’ – said György Abrán, Chief Commercial Officer of Wizz Air.

Warren Hardy, Founder & CEO of White Eagle, commented, ‘this is a very exciting partnership for White Eagle. We feel that it’s the right time to promote the Freedom Card as an essential financial tool and travel accessory and with a company who has the same customer base as White Eagle’.

The Freedom MasterCard is available to purchase online via the Wizz Air website wizzair.com.

Leading British independent school, Wellington College, is believed to be the first school in Britain to move towards a ‘cashless society’ by providing each of its pupils with a prepaid card that can be used to pay for student expenses over the school term.

The Freedom Eagle Cash Card from White Eagle (Europe) Plc, the multi award winning MasterCard® Prepaid Card and digital payments company, effectively acts as a ‘pay as you go’ bank account for pupils. It enables parents to manage their child’s finances and affords pupils the freedom to spend their pocket money in a safe and convenient way. Wellington College benefits as there will be a decreasing need to manage pupils’ personal finances.

Dr. Anthony Seldon, Master of Wellington College, commented: “With the introduction of the new Freedom prepaid card for our pupils, Wellington is moving with the times and, in doing so, relieving the administration that managing pupils’ spending money entails. This is a fantastic solution for everyone involved and we are delighted at the work that White Eagle has put into creating this system of payments for us.”

The card effectively cuts the school out of the administration equation, giving full control of each pupil’s pocket money to their parents and empowering pupils with the increased convenience and freedom that prepaid cards afford. The cards provide a safe and secure alternative to cash and, additionally, they should also help pupils learn how to monitor and manage their money better as they can track their balances in real time.

The card is pre-loaded with funds by the pupil’s parents, either via their bank account or at any Post Office or PayPoint outlet, and the pupil can then use the card to make payments in the College Shop, and at the Cafe, for school trips as well as in the local village and, indeed, at any retailer displaying the MasterCard Acceptance Marks. The pupil can only spend the available balance on the card, meaning that there are no penalties or related interest charges, and parents can track all payment transactions online to ensure that they are being used sensibly.

Warren Hardy, CEO at White Eagle (Europe) Plc said: “Prepaid cards from White Eagle offer schools the opportunity to be free from the inconvenience and administrative burden of cheque and cash handling when managing students’ personal finances. Prepaid cards are now hitting the mainstream as people become further predisposed to making payments without using cash. The application of prepaid cards lends itself very well to the management of student finances and we anticipate that many other schools will follow Wellington College’s lead with this successful programme.”

For more information see www.freedom4schools.co.uk or www.white-eaglegroup.com

Two 30-second commercials for the Freedom brand have been created by London Creative and incorporate the key message strap line of Buy It, Load It, Spend It. One ad is packed with computer animation to convey the features of the Freedom card such as no bank account required, no credit checks needed, that it helps you manage your money and you can get wages and benefits loaded directly onto the card. The second version uses people that represent target audience role models to verbalise similar messages.

The commercials will be broadcast across a variety of channels both terrestrial and satellite. Media planning and buying was handled by Media Vision.

The Freedom ‘Pay As You Go’ MasterCard is the UK’s new retail instant issue, fully re-loadable, embossed Prepaid MasterCard with chip & PIN security that gives the cardholder peace of mind with added security, as well as the ‘freedom’ to control their money. It enables cardholders to make purchases without filling in forms, undergoing any credit checks or even having an existing bank account. It also offers cardholders a free added value ‘insurance’ package that includes free extended warranty, free 30-day purchase protection and free 30-day price protection. The Freedom Card is fully re-loadable and is accepted worldwide, at over 28.5 million locations and at 1.5 million ATMs that display the MasterCard Acceptance Mark.

Customers simply buy the card, load, activate and then start spending. They can load their Freedom Cards at any Post Office or PayPoint outlet, by bank transfer or directly from their wages or benefits. The Freedom ‘Pay As You Go’ MasterCard is available online or through thousands of retailers nationwide.

The recently launched Freedom Eagle Cash Card is the UK’s first prepaid retail instant issue, fully re-loadable, embossed Prepaid MasterCard® with chip & PIN security to offer a free value added insurance protection package to its cardholders.

From 30June 09, all existing and new Freedom Eagle Cash Cardholders will benefit from free extended warranty cover, free 30-day purchase protection and free 30-day price protection. So, not only do you get peace of mind with the added security of the latest chip & PIN technology, but you now also get a whole insurance package that no other prepaid card in the UK can offer.

Underwritten by niche protection insurance specialist, Assurant Solutions, the Freedom Eagle Cash Card package provides 3 valuable covers for your purchases.

Purchase Protection covers items purchased with your prepaid card against theft or accidental damage for 30 days from the date of purchase provided they are not covered by any other insurance.

Price Protection covers the price differential on purchases made in the UK with your prepaid card where you find the same item at a cheaper price at a retail store anywhere in the UK within 30 days of the date of purchase.

Finally, Extended Warranty provides an additional 12 months’ mechanical breakdown coverage over and above the manufacturer's own warranty on any domestic electrical goods purchased in the UK on the prepaid card

The Freedom Eagle Cash Card gives you the ‘freedom’ to control your money, whether monitoring your card balance remotely and in real time via SMS, when loading the card with funds or making purchases at over 28.5 million worldwide locations and at 1.5 million ATMs which display the MasterCard Acceptance Mark. There is no need to fill in lengthy forms, undergo credit checks or have an existing bank account. There is no interest to pay – ever – and it’s really simple to use. All cards are fully re-loadable and the maximum card balance for a Level 3 card is £3,000.

The Freedom Eagle Cash Card is available to purchase online at www.freedom-card.co.uk, and through selected independent retailers (see website for store locator) for £9.99. Once purchased, you simply load, activate and start spending. Money can be loaded onto the card at any Post Office or PayPoint agent, by bank transfer or by having your wages or benefits paid directly onto the card by your employer.