American Express announced that the American Express Prepaid Card, a prepaid reloadable Card with no monthly or maintenance fees, will soon be available at select Office Depot stores.

“Office Depot is pleased to offer a prepaid reloadable card for the first time to our customers,” said Farla Efros, Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer, Office Depot. “Reloadable prepaid cards are quickly gaining traction for many different uses. We are excited to offer the American Express Prepaid Card which delivers premium value with no hidden fees, enables our customers to use the card immediately upon purchase and is backed with the safety and security that is synonymous with American Express.”

A new survey released by MasterCard says that many of the top frustrations cited by U.S. commuters have to do with how they pay and that a majority recognize the benefits contactless payments can provide to improve the commuting experience.

“The grind of the daily commute should not be compounded by the way you pay just to ride mass transit,” said Catherine Murchie, Senior Vice President, MasterCard Worldwide. “From our survey, we know that commuters want a better way to buy their fare and open-loop contactless payment options such as MasterCard PayPass eliminate the need to wait in line, fumble for exact change or carry multiple fare cards so that it easier to board and be on your way.”

ZipZap has announced that MoneyGram International has joined its network of payment centers in the U.S.

“We are excited about this new partnership with MoneyGram because it enables us to offer those consumers using our service with a reliable and trusted payment center experience,” said Alan Safahi, Founder and CEO of ZipZap. “Through our agreement with MoneyGram, cash-preferred consumers in the U.S. will now have access to over 45,000 locations in ZipZap’s North American Payment Center Network.”

On the web:

• Bitcoin Seeks New Life In Africa - MIT Technology Review
• Google Said to Rethink Wallet Strategy Amid Slow Adoption - Businessweek
• Eventbrite Moves Into Mobile Payments With its Own Credit Card Reader - NYTimes.com
• Vantiv Goes Public at $17 a Share - Reuters

On the wires:

• Citi Launches Program Audit Tool for Commercial Card Clients
• Paysafecard Group Reports 30% Growth in 2011
• New Mercator Report on Debit Processing Solutions