ACI Worldwide and NationsBenefits Partner to Expand Health and Retail Benefits for Millions of Consumers
ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW) has announced a strategic partnership with NationsBenefits to enhance the functionality of NationsBenefits' Benefits Mastercard® Prepaid Flex Card. The collaboration aims to improve retailer connectivity, payment options, and security for merchants accepting the Flex Card.
Through ACI's Intelligent Payments Orchestration technology, the partnership will:
- Streamline transaction efficiency
- Simplify merchant onboarding
- Enable real-time purchase adjudication at point of sale
- Provide decryption services to reduce PCI compliance burden for retailers
The partnership will give millions of health plan members access to an expanded network of participating retailers, including supermarkets, pharmacies, and convenience stores. The Flex Card allows members to purchase eligible items such as groceries, meal delivery, and over-the-counter medical products covered by their health plans.
ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW) ha annunciato una partnership strategica con NationsBenefits per migliorare le funzionalità della Benefits Mastercard® Prepaid Flex Card di NationsBenefits. La collaborazione mira a potenziare la connettività tra i rivenditori, le opzioni di pagamento e la sicurezza per i commercianti che accettano la Flex Card.
Grazie alla tecnologia di Intelligent Payments Orchestration di ACI, la partnership avrà come obiettivo:
- Ottimizzare l'efficienza delle transazioni
- Semplificare l'onboarding dei commercianti
- Consentire l'approvazione in tempo reale degli acquisti al punto vendita
- Fornire servizi di decrittazione per ridurre il carico di conformità PCI per i rivenditori
La partnership offrirà a milioni di membri di piani sanitari l'accesso a una rete ampliata di rivenditori partecipanti, tra cui supermercati, farmacie e negozi di convenienza. La Flex Card consente ai membri di acquistare articoli idonei come generi alimentari, consegna di pasti e prodotti medici da banco coperti dai loro piani sanitari.
ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW) ha anunciado una asociación estratégica con NationsBenefits para mejorar la funcionalidad de la Benefits Mastercard® Prepaid Flex Card de NationsBenefits. La colaboración tiene como objetivo mejorar la conectividad de los minoristas, las opciones de pago y la seguridad para los comerciantes que aceptan la Flex Card.
A través de la tecnología de Intelligent Payments Orchestration de ACI, la asociación buscará:
- Optimizar la eficiencia de las transacciones
- Simplificar la incorporación de comerciantes
- Permitir la adjudicación de compras en tiempo real en el punto de venta
- Proporcionar servicios de descifrado para reducir la carga de cumplimiento de PCI para los minoristas
La asociación brindará a millones de miembros de planes de salud acceso a una red ampliada de minoristas participantes, incluidos supermercados, farmacias y tiendas de conveniencia. La Flex Card permite a los miembros comprar artículos elegibles como comestibles, entrega de comidas y productos médicos de venta libre cubiertos por sus planes de salud.
ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW)는 NationsBenefits와 전략적 파트너십을 체결하여 NationsBenefits의 Benefits Mastercard® Prepaid Flex Card의 기능을 향상시켰습니다. 이번 협력은 Flex Card를 수용하는 상인들을 위한 소매업체 연결성, 결제 옵션 및 보안을 개선하는 것을 목표로 합니다.
ACI의 Intelligent Payments Orchestration 기술를 통해, 이 파트너십은:
- 거래 효율성을 향상시킵니다
- 상인 온보딩을 간소화합니다
- 판매 시점에서 실시간 구매 판별을 가능하게 합니다
- 소매업체의 PCI 준수 부담을 줄이기 위해 암호 해독 서비스를 제공합니다
이번 파트너십은 수백만 명의 건강 보험 가입자에게 슈퍼마켓, 약국 및 편의점을 포함한 참여 소매업체의 확장된 네트워크에 접근할 수 있도록 합니다. Flex Card는 회원들이 건강 보험으로 보장되는 식료품, 식사 배달 및 일반 의약품과 같은 적격 품목을 구매할 수 있게 해줍니다.
ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW) a annoncé un partenariat stratégique avec NationsBenefits pour améliorer la fonctionnalité de la Benefits Mastercard® Prepaid Flex Card de NationsBenefits. Cette collaboration vise à améliorer la connectivité des détaillants, les options de paiement et la sécurité pour les commerçants acceptant la Flex Card.
Grâce à la technologie de Intelligent Payments Orchestration d'ACI, le partenariat permettra de :
- Rationaliser l'efficacité des transactions
- Simplifier l'intégration des commerçants
- Permettre l'adjudication des achats en temps réel au point de vente
- Fournir des services de décryptage pour réduire le fardeau de conformité PCI pour les détaillants
Ce partenariat donnera accès à des millions de membres de régimes de santé à un réseau élargi de détaillants participants, y compris des supermarchés, des pharmacies et des magasins de proximité. La Flex Card permet aux membres d'acheter des articles éligibles tels que des courses, des livraisons de repas et des produits médicaux en vente libre couverts par leurs régimes de santé.
ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW) hat eine strategische Partnerschaft mit NationsBenefits angekündigt, um die Funktionalität der Benefits Mastercard® Prepaid Flex Card von NationsBenefits zu verbessern. Die Zusammenarbeit zielt darauf ab, die Konnektivität der Einzelhändler, die Zahlungsoptionen und die Sicherheit für Händler, die die Flex Card akzeptieren, zu verbessern.
Durch die Intelligent Payments Orchestration-Technologie von ACI wird die Partnerschaft:
- Die Effizienz der Transaktionen optimieren
- Die Einarbeitung von Händlern vereinfachen
- Echtzeit-Kaufentscheidungen am Verkaufsort ermöglichen
- Entschlüsselungsdienste anbieten, um die PCI-Compliance-Belastung für Einzelhändler zu reduzieren
Die Partnerschaft wird Millionen von Mitgliedern von Gesundheitsplänen den Zugang zu einem erweiterten Netzwerk von teilnehmenden Einzelhändlern ermöglichen, darunter Supermärkte, Apotheken und Convenience-Stores. Die Flex Card ermöglicht es Mitgliedern, berechtigte Artikel wie Lebensmittel, Essenslieferungen und rezeptfreie medizinische Produkte zu kaufen, die von ihren Gesundheitsplänen abgedeckt sind.
- Expansion of merchant network increases potential transaction volume
- New revenue stream through healthcare payment processing
- Strategic entry into healthcare fintech market
- None.
Insights
ACI Worldwide's partnership with NationsBenefits represents a strategic expansion into the healthcare payments ecosystem, specifically targeting the growing supplemental benefits space. This move diversifies ACI's merchant network beyond traditional retail, positioning them at the intersection of healthcare fintech and payment processing.
The collaboration leverages ACI's core competency in payment orchestration while addressing specific friction points in the healthcare benefits space - including PCI compliance burdens for retailers and real-time eligibility verification at point-of-sale. These technical capabilities create differentiation in a specialized market segment.
For context, supplemental benefits cards represent a significant growth opportunity as health plans increasingly offer allowances for healthy food, over-the-counter products, and other wellness-related purchases. By serving as the payment technology backbone for NationsBenefits' Flex Card, ACI gains access to millions of health plan members and their associated transaction volumes.
While the announcement doesn't quantify the financial impact or provide contract details, this partnership demonstrates ACI's ability to extend its payment technology into specialized verticals with unique compliance and verification requirements. The planned expansion to additional retailer categories suggests a phased implementation approach that could drive incremental transaction growth over time.
The technical aspects of this partnership highlight ACI's differentiated capabilities in the payments space. Their Intelligent Payments Orchestration technology is being deployed to solve two critical challenges in the healthcare benefits ecosystem: real-time transaction adjudication and PCI compliance simplification.
The real-time adjudication functionality enables the Flex Card to automatically approve only eligible purchases (like fresh produce or medical supplies) at checkout, eliminating the friction of manual verification or declined transactions. This capability requires sophisticated integration between payment processing systems and product catalogs - a complex technical challenge that creates valuable differentiation.
ACI's decryption services for PCI compliance represent another technical advantage, as they reduce implementation barriers for merchants. By offloading compliance requirements, ACI makes it easier for retailers to accept these specialized payment instruments without extensive systems modifications.
What's particularly notable is the phrase "in certain installations" appearing multiple times, suggesting a phased or selective implementation approach rather than universal deployment. This indicates a practical, measured rollout strategy to manage implementation complexities.
From a payments ecosystem perspective, this partnership represents the continued blurring of boundaries between healthcare benefits administration and retail payment processing - a trend that favors established payment technology providers with robust orchestration capabilities and extensive merchant networks.
The NationsBenefits Flex Card is a prepaid card that provides members with access to funds that can be used to purchase or help pay for certain health plan-covered items, such as eligible groceries, meal delivery, over-the-counter products and more. In certain installations, NationsBenefits will leverage ACI’s Intelligent Payments Orchestration technology to streamline transaction efficiency, simplify the merchant onboarding process, and enable real-time adjudication of purchases at the point of sale. This ensures that only eligible food and over-the-counter products—such as fresh produce, dairy and essential medical supplies—can be purchased using the Flex Card. Also, in certain installations where ACI is the technology partner, they will provide decryption services to alleviate PCI compliance burdens for retailers, ensuring a secure, seamless payment experience for consumers.
Through this collaboration, millions of health plan members using the NationsBenefits Flex Card will now have access to a growing network of participating retailers, including supermarkets, pharmacies and convenience stores. This partnership bridges the gap between retail and health by empowering consumers to use their supplemental benefits allowances at the major retailers they already frequent, making it easier for them to access healthy food, essential medical products and other critical services that support their well-being.
“ACI Worldwide is committed to delivering secure, scalable and innovative payment solutions that drive value for our partners and their customers,” said Erich Litch, general manager of payment software at ACI Worldwide. “By integrating NationsBenefits into our extensive merchant network, we are expanding access to healthy choices while ensuring frictionless transactions.”
As ACI and NationsBenefits continue their collaboration, future plans include expanding Flex Card acceptance across new verticals, including convenience stores and additional health-focused retailers.
“With the flexibility to shop at trusted retailers using their Flex Card, consumers are empowered to make healthier choices that align with their lifestyles,” said Glenn Parker, MD, Co-CEO of NationsBenefits. “By leveraging ACI Worldwide’s expertise in payments technology, we’re ensuring our members have easy access to nutritious options and essential healthcare products, while providing a seamless, secure and efficient payment experience for both consumers and merchants.”
About ACI Worldwide
ACI Worldwide, an original innovator in global payments technology, delivers transformative software solutions that power intelligent payments orchestration in real time so banks, billers, and merchants can drive growth, while continuously modernizing their payment infrastructures, simply and securely. With nearly 50 years of trusted payments expertise, we combine our global footprint with a local presence to offer enhanced payment experiences to stay ahead of constantly changing payment challenges and opportunities.
About NationsBenefits
NationsBenefits is a leading provider of supplemental benefits and fintech solutions and outcomes to the healthcare industry. NationsBenefits partners with managed care organizations to provide innovative healthcare, data analytics, gap closure, and fintech solutions aimed at driving growth, reducing costs, and delighting members. Combining its cutting-edge technology with targeted retailer partnerships, NationsBenefits empowers health plans to deliver impactful supplemental benefits to optimize member experiences and drive better health outcomes. By simplifying processes to make smarter choices and expanding access to benefits solutions, NationsBenefits aims to improve each of its members’ quality of life through its revolutionary and comprehensive suite of offerings. To learn more, visit NationsBenefits.com.
© Copyright ACI Worldwide, Inc. 2025
ACI, ACI Worldwide, ACI Payments, Inc., ACI Pay, Speedpay and all ACI product/solution names are trademarks or registered trademarks of ACI Worldwide, Inc., or one of its subsidiaries, in
The Benefits Mastercard® Prepaid Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to a license by Mastercard International Incorporated. Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated. The card can be used for eligible expenses wherever Mastercard is accepted. Valid only in the
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250408080310/en/
Media Contacts
ACI Worldwide
Nick Karoglou | Head of Communications and Corporate Affairs | nick.karoglou@aciworldwide.com
NationsBenefits
Ashlee Piga | CEO Noblestream Marketing | ashlee@noblestreammarketing.com
Source: ACI Worldwide
FAQ
What benefits does the ACI Worldwide and NationsBenefits partnership bring to retailers?
How does the NationsBenefits Flex Card work with ACIW's technology?
What types of retailers are included in ACIW's partnership with NationsBenefits?
What items can be purchased using the NationsBenefits Flex Card through ACIW's network?
