For the first time in Italy, Discover®, Diners Club International® and affiliated network cardholders will be able to make in-store purchases using Banca Sella POS terminals.

This will allow merchants in Italy to accept payments made with Discover®, Diners Club International® and affiliated network cards. The new association will enable electronic payment methods to be more widely accepted in physical stores, thanks to the integration of Banca Sella’s POS terminals with the Discover® Global Network.

Banca Sella is breaking new ground in Italy by enabling millions of Discover®, Diners Club International® and affiliated network cardholders to make purchases in Italian stores. It will offer merchants a new means of supporting the digitalisation of payments and day-to-day operations. They will also be able to broaden their international customer base, since the majority of Discover® Global Network users are in countries such as the United States, Brazil, India, China, Japan, Austria and Switzerland.

This association forms part of the recent strategic agreement between Discover® Global Network and BANCOMAT, which enables the Discover® Global Network cards and mobile payment tools to be used in the BANCOMAT network throughout Italy.

The agreement allows Banca Sella to further expand the payment acceptance services available to merchants in the digital solutions sphere. At the same time, it will extend them to the growing number of foreign travellers in Italy, ranked second in Europe by number of visitors, as a destination for tourism and business. According to Euromonitor data, inbound tourism is forecast to grow by 49% by 2025. The new feature will be made available automatically on all Banca Sella POS terminals nationwide and will allow travellers to use their cards to make payments in shops easily, quickly, and securely.

“Banca Sella continues to phase in digital payments for merchants, enabling them to offer a distinctive service to all international travellers who are increasingly choosing to visit Italy on business and for leisure, and who can now confidently use their cards for in-store purchases” said Andrea Pozzi, Head of Banking and Payments at Banca Sella.

Matt Sloan, Vice President of International Markets at Discover® Global Network, adds: “In the coming years, Italy will host world-class cultural and sporting events, and our cardholders, who are increasingly travelling to Italy, will benefit from paying with their favourite card. Our customers are extremely loyal to the brand and the benefits of the card and want the same payment experience in Italy as they have in their own country.”

Oscar Occhipinti, Director of Marketing & Sales at BANCOMAT S.p.A, states that “the partnership with Banca Sella is part of the recent strategic agreement between Discover® Global Network and BANCOMAT S.p.A that allows the acceptance of Discover® Global Network cards on the merchant network throughout Italy.”