Marcus Reward Cards (8/12/99)


FULL STORY:

You've probably never heard of the name "Marcus Corporation" but this mid-west hotel operator has unveiled an interesting suite of new reward MasterCards. Wells Fargo/Norwest Bank and The Marcus Corp teamed up this week to offer four new reward MasterCards. Marcus operates or franchises 165 Baymont Inns and Baymont Inns & Suites in 30 states and six Woodfield Suites in Wisconsin, Colorado, Ohio and Illinois; 442 movie screens in Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio and Minnesota; one family entertainment center in Wisconsin; other hotels and resorts scattered across the U.S. and 27 KFC and 3 KFC/Taco Bell 2-in-1 restaurants in Wisconsin. The four new credit cards include the 'Marcus Rewards MasterCard', a 'Marcus Rewards Platinum MasterCard', a 'Baymont Rewards MasterCard' and the 'Baymont Rewards MasterCard BusinessCard'. All of the credit cards will be offered without an annual fee except the 'Marcus Rewards Platinum MasterCard' which will charge a $40 annual fee. Under the program cardholders earn one 'Reward Point' for every dollar charged and two points for every dollar spent at Marcus locations and Sun Country Airlines. In addition, cardholders will be able to earn up to 3,500 Bonus Points for opening deposit, credit and investment accounts at Norwest Banks.  All cardholders will earn 500 'Bonus Points' when the card is used at a Marcus location within three months of receiving the card. Platinum cardholders earn a total of 1,000 'Bonus Points' when the card is used at a Marcus location within three months. The points are redeemable for free companion movie tickets, free room nights and free dining at Marcus locations; and discount travel on Midwest Express Airlines, American Airlines and Sun Country Airlines. Redemption levels start at 2,500 points. CardTrak (cardtrak.com) estimates the value of each point to be one cent each. For more information visit any Marcus location such as Baymont Inns in the states listed.