Humboldt Merchant Services LP and Planet Payment [LSE:AIM: PPTR and PPT for Reg S and unrestricted shares respectively] a leading international multi-currency payment and data processor, announced today that they recently began processing transactions in multiple currencies for a number of e-commerce, mail and telephone-order merchants as part of Humboldt’s expanded offering to internationally-focused businesses.

Humboldt’s Multi-Currency Pricing (MCP) Service, powered by Planet Payment, allows e-commerce, and mail and telephone-order merchants to offer customers around the world the ability to shop, view prices and pay for purchases in their own currency. This creates a personalized shopping experience for customers, and is designed to attract more buyers and increase international sales.

“MCP is integral to any international business today. If a customer doesn’t understand a merchant’s language or currency, that merchant is less likely to close the sale. With MCP, shoppers will complete their purchases instead of looking elsewhere to find pricing they understand,” Ken Musante, President of Humboldt Merchant Services, said.

Merchants have responded enthusiastically to Multi-Currency Pricing because it supports all major Visa/MasterCard currencies. Planet Payment’s technology allows Humboldt’s merchants to accommodate their customers throughout the world without requiring foreign banking relationships or overseas wire transfers. With Humboldt and Planet Payment’s offering, US merchants know the final settlement amount at the time of authorization and continue to receive reporting and payment in US Dollars in the same amount of time as on domestic transactions.

“Humboldt Merchant Services adds to its record of leadership in the processing industry by focusing on the specialized needs of internationally-focused merchants, and we’re proud that our technology is at the heart of their Multi-Currency offering. Merchants will quickly find that this Multi-Currency Pricing solution makes international selling simpler, more productive and more profitable with quick and easy payment for MCP transactions and settlement in US Dollars,” Planet Payment’s CEO, Philip Beck said.

Musante said the improved customer experience Multi-Currency Pricing should lead to increased sales and customer loyalty for our merchants with little extra effort or expense. “Planet Payment has again demonstrated its expertise in multi-currency processing solutions, which has in turn enhanced our ability to increase our merchant customers’ revenue potential,” he said.

In addition to Multi-Currency Pricing, Humboldt Merchant Services offers Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) powered by Planet Payment. With DCC, international customers shop in the merchant’s local currency, and are then offered the choice to complete the transaction in their home currencies at check out, providing convenience and true price-transparency for international shoppers. DCC is used around the world in card-present environments including retail, restaurant and hospitality.

Inquiries to:
Ken Musante Tel: +1 707 269 3200
Humboldt Merchant Services

Melissa Jones Tel: + 1 516 670 3200
Planet Group, Inc.

Eliot Hoff Tel: + 1 212 300 1801
APCO Worldwide

Emma Kane /Andrew Dunn Tel: +44 20 7955 1410
Redleaf Communications Ltd



About Planet Payment:

Planet Payment is the trade name for Planet Group, Inc. [LSE: AIM: PPTR and PPT for Reg S and unrestricted common shares respectively]. Further information on Planet Payment can be found at: www.planetpayment.com

Planet Payment is a multi-currency payment and data processor, enabling processors, acquiring banks and their merchants to accept, process and reconcile credit card transactions in multiple currencies, allowing cardholders to view prices and settle transactions in their native currency. Planet Payment’s systems also enable it to provide enhanced data reporting and data mining to merchants who are using multiple systems in different countries.

The Planet Payment business was established in 1999. Planet Payment is headquartered in New York and has offices in Atlanta, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Hong Kong.

About Humboldt Merchant Services:

Humboldt Merchant Services can facilitate the processing of Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, JCB and debit cards. Humboldt Merchant Services helps businesses increase their sales by increasing the purchasing power of your customers. With state-of-the-art products and services we assist a wide range of merchant types in accepting credit cards. We have expertise in retail, restaurant, motel/hotel, internet businesses, MOTO, New Businesses and Home Based Businesses. For more information, please visit our website at www.hbms.com.


Forward-Looking Statements. Information contained in this announcement may include ‘forward-looking statements’. All statements other than statements of historical facts included herein, including, without limitation, those regarding Planet Payment’s financial position, business strategy, plans and objectives of management for future operations (including development plans and objectives relating to Planet Payment’s business) are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions regarding Planet Payment’s present and future business strategies and the environment in which Planet Payment expects to operate in future, which assumptions may or may not be fulfilled in practice. Actual results may vary materially from the results anticipated by these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of risk factors, including the risk that implementation, adoption and offering of the service by merchants may take longer than anticipated, or may not occur at all. These forward-looking statements speak only as to the date of this announcement and cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. Planet Payment expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained in this announcement to reflect any changes in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based.