United Refining Partners With Heartland Payment Systems

WARREN, Penn. -- United Refining Co. partnered with Heartland Payment Systems to provide Heartland's SmartLink network services to all of the independent refiner and petroleum products marketer's locations in New York and Pennsylvania, the companies announced.

"Managing multiple petroleum and c-store sites requires secure connectivity," said Jack Yates, CIO of United Refining Company. "The SmartLink technology not only helps us protect sensitive payment data and meet PCI compliance standards, but it has revolutionized our operations by enabling us to enhance our loyalty program and use our POS system to its full potential."

“Heartland is proud to be able to deliver SmartLink technology to United Refining locations in New York and Pennsylvania," said David Munson, Heartland’s executive director of petroleum services. " SmartLink provides solutions for several common industry problems such as dial connectivity issues, transaction security and processing times. Because it is available in several solutions and can accommodate single-store and multi-store, all operators will benefit from this technology.”

SmartLink is a secure, managed network service that supports transaction data and back-office systems, according to the announcement. It uses DSL or broadband to tie business applications into a single fully managed network and provides PCI-compliant network security. Its merchant gateway gives operators monitored, firewall-protected, VPN communications for automatic tank gauges, in-store environmental control systems, back-office systems, digital signs, e-mail and Internet, and its payment gateway uses distributed and segmented SSL network to support transactions generated by point-of-sale (POS), money order, check cashing, ATM and fleet card terminal, said the company.