CITGO Petroleum Corporation is now offering Heartland Payment Systems’ SmartLink network services to its marketers and retailers at nearly 6,500 CITGO-branded gas stations in the United States. SmartLink technology consolidates multiple in-store devices onto one high-speed broadband line, enabling business owners to lower telecommunication costs, save time and resources and manage their businesses more efficiently.
âSince one of the biggest challenges facing our industry is data security and Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance, we turned to SmartLink technology to help our retailers protect sensitive data and meet PCI standardsâ
âSince one of the biggest challenges facing our industry is data security and Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance, we turned to SmartLink technology to help our retailers protect sensitive data and meet PCI standards,â said Jonathan Watson, manager of business services and payment cards for CITGO. âCITGO marketers also face complex network connectivity issues and SmartLink is a great way to help streamline them.â
SmartLink is a secure, managed network service that effectively supports both transactional data and back-office systems, allowing petroleum and c-store operators to spend less time managing their networks. SmartLink provides merchants with monitored communications for automatic tank gauges, in-store environmental control systems, back-office systems, digital signs, email and internet. In addition, SmartLinkâs payment gateway provides a SSL network to support transactions generated by point-of-sale (POS) systems, money-order, check cashing, ATM and fleet card terminals. Dial or cellular back up is included to provide a secondary communication in the event of a broadband line outage.
Bill McCollough, Heartlandâs executive director of petroleum, noted, âUtilizing SmartLink technology, CITGO retailers can overcome common industry issues by easily connecting their POS systems and in-store payment and back office devices. Additionally, they can eliminate dial connectivity, enhance transaction security and reduce transaction processing times.â
SmartLink operates on any broadband circuit, including the CITGO high-speed Sprint 4G/3G wireless broadband network, and can be scaled to reduce expenses and improve operations for single-store and multi-store operators.
Heartland is one of the largest payments processors in the convenience store and petroleum industry, offering a comprehensive suite of products and services including card processing, gift marketing, prepaid services, check management, payroll services and more. To learn more, visit HeartlandPaymentSystems.com/Petroleum.
About CITGO Petroleum Corporation
CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
About Heartland Payment Systems
Heartland Payment Systems, Inc. (NYSE: HPY), the fifth largest payments processor in the United States, delivers credit/debit/prepaid card processing, gift marketing and loyalty programs, payroll, check management and related business solutions to more than 250,000 business locations nationwide. A FORTUNE 1000 company, Heartland is the founding supporter of The Merchant Bill of Rights, a public advocacy initiative that educates merchants about fair credit and debit card processing practices. The company is also a leader in the development of end-to-end encryption technology designed to protect cardholder data, rendering it useless to cyber criminals. For more information, please visit HeartlandPaymentSystems.com, MerchantBillOfRights.org, CostOfABurger.com and E3secure.com.
