Leap Leverages Q Comm’s Customizable Point-of-Sale Activation (POSA) System

E-PIN Distribution Leap is distributing its Jump by Cricket prepaid wireless airtime through an efficient electronic-PIN (e-PIN) format using a customized version of Q Comm’s point-of-sale activation (POSA) terminal, Q xpress 200TM. Under the e-PIN format, PINs corresponding to each of the Jump by Cricket airtime denominations are managed by Q Comm and securely sent to the point-of-sale (POS) terminals as needed. When a customer requests a product, the retail clerk selects the requested denomination. The terminal prints the appropriate PIN on the blank side of a durable, Cricket-branded card. The customer follows the instructions on the back of the card to instantly load the airtime into his or her wireless account. By electronically delivering prepaid airtime on demand rather than using the traditional method of preprinting and distributing PINs on hard cards, Leap avoids significant costs associated with printing, inventorying, managing and fulfilling airtime products. Leap is also able to reduce fraud risk and stock outages. Additionally, Leap can increase business intelligence through online reporting. Branding Opportunities at the POS The customized Q Comm terminal also helps Leap leverage its brand equity at the point of sale. The terminal’s shell has been specially manufactured to match Cricket’s familiar green color and the faceplate has been customized with the Cricket logo. The card stock has been custom printed with the “Jump by Cricket” logo in full color on the front side to further drive branding at the point of sale. All participating authorized Cricket dealers are required to use the customized Q Comm POS system to sell airtime. While Q Comm supports credit card terminals and other POS devices for delivering prepaid and related services at the point of sale, the company’s card-on-demand format is made possible by its unique Q xpress terminal that features an integral thermal card printer. The card-on-demand format promotes Cricket’s brand while not requiring the merchant to manage hard card SKUs for each airtime denomination, as required with most magnetic-swipe and barcode card formats. The card-on-demand format helps support Cricket’s branding in a way that is simple for merchants to manage. Q Comm’s patent-pending Just-in-TimeTM technology enables Cricket’s prepaid airtime PINs to be securely stored in the POS terminal’s memory. With the product resident in the terminal, retail clerks can quickly produce Jump by Cricket airtime products without needing to connect to a remote database via phone or other connection, resulting in the fastest, most reliable way to sell products at the point sale. Cricket also benefits from Q Comm’s experience and robust transaction processing technology. Q Comm has been focused on processing prepaid transactions since 1999. Q Comm utilizes a secure off-site data hosting center with redundancy and the latest security technologies protecting every point of its system in order to deliver reliable, uninterrupted transactions. Channel Sales Leap is currently selling its Jump by Cricket prepaid product through its Cricket-owned stores, third-party authorized Cricket dealers and Q Comm’s retail network. Expanding the Market for Prepaid Services Jump by Cricket features a flat rate of 10-cents per minute with unlimited inbound calling. “We believe it’s the best priced prepaid program in the industry,” said Scott. Because inbound calls are free, Jump by Cricket subscribers can actually achieve effective rates of less than 10 cents per minute. With the program’s pric