NOVEMBER 8, 2004

Secretary of State PLUS office customers now have the convenient option of paying for over-the-counter transactions with a Discover credit card, Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land announced today.

Credit card payments in branch offices are a feature long sought by customers because of their ease and speed. They also eliminate the need to carry checkbooks or significant amounts of cash. Until now, credit cards were accepted only for Internet, mail and touch-tone phone transactions.

"This is a milestone in our ongoing commitment to deliver quality, convenient service," Land said. "Customers have told us what they want and we’re delivering. It’s an exciting step that is sure to please our visitors. We’ll continue working to expand our over-the-counter credit card options, but this is an excellent start. When we give our customers credit, we really mean it."

The Department of State is negotiating with other major credit card companies in an effort to offer their services as well.

Customers are assessed a nominal 1.75 percent fee to cover the cost of using the credit card option in a PLUS office or SUPER!Center. For example, a $25 transaction would result in a handling fee of about 44 cents. That fee is not passed on to customers who use automated transaction systems such as Web or touch-tone renewal because they do not involve a face-to-face transaction.

There currently are seven PLUS offices that are open and accepting the Discover Card. They are the:

• Lansing Area PLUS Office, 5827 W. Saginaw in the Delta Center
• Mecosta County PLUS Office, 206 N. Michigan Ave., Big Rapids
• Northwest Detroit PLUS Office, 20210 W. 7 Mile Road
• Roscommon County PLUS Office, 2565 S. Gladwin Road, Prudenville
• Sanilac County PLUS Office, 277 E. Sanilac, Sandusky
• South Berrien County PLUS Office, 110 E. Main St., Niles
• Southwest Wayne County PLUS Office, 795 Sumpter Road, Belleville

Discover Cards will be accepted in all 22 PLUS offices and five SUPER!Centers as the facilities open. The first SUPER!Center is expected to open later this month in Detroit.

Land created PLUS offices and SUPER!Centers to offer services beyond those provided by traditional branch offices. Advantages include expanded hours, additional staffing and special services such as the ability to obtain personal driving records on site.

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