TSYS Europe Delivers Gift-Card Services in the United Kingdom; HMV Becomes First UK Entertainment Retailer to Offer Gift Cards

Business Wire, March 8, 2005

COLUMBUS, Ga., & YORK, England -- TSYS (NYSE: TSS) today announced the successful launch of its retail gift-card technology for HMV, the largest retailer of music, DVD and games in the UK. Working together with The Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBSG), a major provider of financial services for retailers in the UK, the customized gift-card program was designed, tested and implemented in 12 weeks.

Launched in October for the 2004 holiday season, the innovative alternative to HMV's paper-based voucher program proved highly successful, selling more than 1 million gift cards before year-end. The non-denominated, re-loadable cards are now available in HMV's 200 stores throughout the UK, and can be activated in amounts ranging from GBP 1 to GBP 500.

"Working with TSYS and RBSG has allowed us to quickly create the HMV Gift Card, providing our customers unparalleled choices for accessing music, DVDs and games," says Gideon Lask, HMV's head of marketing projects, promotions and CRM. "The experience, scalability and technology provided by TSYS resulted in a seamless implementation, allowing easy adoption by our customers and overwhelming activations."

"TSYS enabled HMV to implement a gift-card program that was well-received by their customers, leading to additional revenue during the peak holiday sales period. The European gift-card market is in the developing stage and responsiveness is crucial to European retailers that are looking to implement a gift-card program," says Kelley C. Knutson, managing director for TSYS Europe. "TSYS provides a European-based infrastructure, market experience and delivery capability that European retailers like HMV expect and deserve."

HMV plans to actively market the product with Internet fulfillment and initiatives aimed at certain customer segments. The parent company, HMV Group plc, also owns 189 Waterstone's specialist book stores in the UK and Ireland, and plans to offer a Waterstone's gift card in 2005.

About HMV UK Ltd

HMV is the UK's leading specialist retailer of music, DVD and computer games. It has nearly 200 stores equating to well over 1 million square feet of trading space in all major locations. HMV offers customers unrivalled access to over 150,000 recorded music titles as well as a comprehensive range of home entertainment products, including DVD and computer games -- both through its high street stores and its website, hmv.co.uk.

About TSYS

TSYS (NYSE: TSS) brings integrity and innovation to the world of electronic payment services as the integral link between buyers and sellers in this rapidly evolving universe. Synovus (NYSE: SNV) owns an 81-percent interest in TSYS. For more information, contact news@tsys.com. See TSYS on the web at www.tsys.com.