Drug store chain Rite Aid has become part of KUBRA’s Retail Cash Payments (RCP) Network, giving cash-paying customers thousands of new retail locations where they can pay their bills.
“Our goal is to bring the most convenient and accessible bill payment option to cash-preferred customers that we can,” said Rick Watkin, president and CEO of Tempe, Ariz.-based KUBRA, a provider of customer experience management solutions and an operating subsidiary of the Hearst Corp. “Adding Rite Aid to our payment network brings us another step closer to achieving this goal.”
[Read more: “Board Removes Rite Aid CEO“]
Rite Aid is the 19th retailer to join the RCP Network, adding 2,257 new retail locations in 17 states. This raises the total number of retail locations in the network to more than 72,000. Other retailers in the network include 7-Eleven, Dollar General, Family Dollar, CVS, Walmart and Walgreens.
KUBRA launched the RCP Network as part of its KUBRA EZ-PAY payment solution in 2014, when it began a partnership with Atlanta-based InComm Payments, a payments technology company whose VanillaDirect platform lets consumers fund accounts and make real-time payments with cash at retail. The network provides a secure, convenient and accessible way for cash-preference, unbanked and underbanked customers to pay bills.
Customers receive their personalized, reusable barcode on their printed bill, or they can download the barcode to their mobile phone from their biller’s website. Printed barcodes come with a list of retailers in that consumer’s neighborhood where cash payments are accepted. When creating the barcode digitally, customers can use KUBRA’s dynamic map tool to choose their retail location. The unique barcode contains all of the information required to validate a cash payment. Once a cash payment is made at any of the stores in the network, it will be authenticated and authorized in real time. Customers can receive text and email confirmations when their payment is successful.
Philadelphia-based Rite Aid operates 2,300-plus retail pharmacy locations across 17 states. The company is No. 21 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Walmart, Walgreens, CVS Health, 7-Eleven, Dollar General and Dollar Tree (parent company of Family Dollar) are Nos. 1, 5, 7, 13, 15, 29, respectively, on PG’s list.
