Tickets.com Goes Live with Visa Payer Authentication

COSTA MESA, CA--Tickets.com, a leading provider of ticketing software and services for live events, and Visa U.S.A., the world`s largest consumer payment system, today announced Tickets.com as the first online ticketing company to adopt Visa`s Payer Authentication service, "Verified by Visa," giving Tickets.com customers a safer online shopping experience. Verified by Visa, based on Visa`s 3-D Secure Interoperability Standard, adds a layer of security that helps prevent the fraudulent use of Visa card numbers on the Internet, and also helps Tickets.com reduce customer disputes and online fraud losses. Beginning Fall 2001, Visa cardholders can register for Verified by Visa through their card-issuing bank, giving them the ability to make authenticated online purchases with their Visa card. Registered Visa cardholders will then be asked to enter a password every time they buy tickets at Tickets.com, thus authenticating their identity similar to the way a signature verifies a cardholder in the physical world. Registration for the program is easy for consumers and the process of entering a password during an online purchase will take only a matter of seconds. "Whenever we speak to our customers, be they clients or consumers, the security of online ticket purchases is always top-of-mind," said Andrew Donkin, president of Tickets.com`s Internet Ticketing Group. "With Verified by Visa, we can provide an additional layer of security to the ticket buying process which provides an added level of comfort for using our fast growing online distribution channel." "Securing the e-commerce channel for consumers and merchants is currently one of Visa`s most important priorities and we are seeking partners like Tickets.com who share this commitment," said Jim McCarthy, senior vice president, e-Visa, a division of Visa U.S.A. "Visa Payer Authentication will help Tickets.com strengthen their online business by making consumers feel more secure when shopping online." The implementation of Visa Payer Authentication builds upon the strategic partnership between Tickets.com and Visa aimed at enhancing the live event ticketing experience for consumers throughout the nation. The two companies are also working together to roll-out integrated marketing programs which will encourage Visa cardholders to take advantage of the comprehensive offering of live events available through Tickets.com`s multi-channel distribution system. About Tickets.com Tickets.com is a leading business-to-business ticketing solutions provider for live events. The company facilitates the sale of tickets by enabling venues and entertainment organizations with proprietary and cutting edge software, retail outlets, call centers and interactive voice response (IVR) systems. Tickets.com builds custom private label Ticketing Gateways(SM) to enable live entertainment organizations with e-commerce distribution platforms. The company also sells tickets directly to consumers at www.tickets.com, providing tickets and information on virtually all events and entertainment organizations, as well as offering related products and services. Tickets.com`s automated ticketing solutions are used by thousands of entertainment organizations such as leading performing arts centers, professional sports organizations and various stadiums and arenas in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and Latin America. Currently Tickets.com is the official ticket supplier to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games as well as the exclusive online ticketing solutions provider for MLB Advanced Media. About Visa U.S.A. Visa is the world`s leading payment brand and largest consumer payment system, enabling banks to provide their consumer and merchant customers with the best way to pay and be paid. More than 14,000 U.S. financial institutions rely on Visa`s processing system, VisaNet, to facilitate over $810 billion in annual transaction volume -- including more than half of all Internet payments -- with virtually 100 percent reliability. U.S. consumers carry more than 353 million Visa-branded smart, credit, commercial, stored value and check cards, accepted at approximately 22 million locations worldwide. Visa has long led the industry in developing payment security standards, and has been named the most trusted payment brand online. Visa`s people, partnerships, brand and payment technology are helping to create universal commerce -- the ability to safely conduct transactions anytime, anywhere and by any device. Please visit www.visa.com for additional information. For further information please contact Erika Barnes of Tickets.com, +1-714-327-5612, ebarnes@tickets.com; or Melissa Morey, +1-415-984-6184, melissa.morey@ketchum.com, for Visa U.S.A.

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