100 Issues
CardWeb celebrates its 100th issue of CardTrak this month! Each month since Jan 1991 CardTrak has provided millions of American consumers with the most reliable source of information concerning credit cards and other payment cards. With this issue we introduce two new features: Student Cards and Business Cards. An expanded version of these new surveys is available for $10 per copy. An executive version will be released in mid-June for $499 each. For more information call 301-631-9100.
Chase World MasterCard
Chase Manhattan announced the launch of the 'Chase World MasterCard' this month. The Chase version offers consumers a fixed 9.9% APR with a $75 annual fee. The 'World MasterCard' features no pre-set credit limit with the option of revolving a portion of the balance. It is a product directly targeted at American Express cardholders as a hybrid charge card/credit card. The value-added MasterCard enables cardholders to earn miles toward free flights on any major airline with no blackout dates. Additionally, the card features a 24-Hour 'Global Concierge Service' and the Chase '24-Hour Travel Center', which offers 5% cash rebates on travel and hotel discounts of up to 15%. MasterCard introduced the 'World MasterCard' in Oct. 97 to serve the growing number of affluent, convenience-only cardholders . . . . mostly aging baby boomers. Although not widely available, the 'World MasterCard' is also offered by Bank of America and Household Bank. VISA' offers a similar product called 'VISA Signature'. For more information on the 'World MasterCard' visit www.mastercard.com.
Double SkyMiles
American Express is kicking off a nationwide promotion this month offering 'Delta SkyMiles Credit Card' holders double miles for every purchase made on the 'SkyMiles' card through June 15th. To be eligible for the double miles, cardholders must make at least four purchases on the card from May 15th through June 15th. The annual fee is $55 for the classic 'Delta SkyMiles Credit Card'; $85 for the 'Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card' (unless the cardholder has an AmEx Personal, Gold or Platinum Card in his/her name, in which case there is no fee for Classic and a $30 fee for Gold.) For more information, visit the American Express web site at www.americanexpress.com or call 1-800-SKY-MILE.
Maximum UA Miles
United Airlines Mileage Plus VISA and MasterCard cardholders will now be able to accumulate extra miles under a new program launched this month. Participating Mileage Plus Shopping merchants are now able to determine their own mileage value offer for transactions -- from one to 10 miles per dollar in addition to the mileage normally awarded by First Card VISA/MasterCard. "Mileage Plus Shopping provides an innovative way for our frequent fliers to earn miles more quickly -- simply by shopping," said Patricia Mash, president -- Mileage Plus Marketing. "Ultimately, we want our Mileage Plus members to be able to walk into any store and earn miles at very high increments, which are currently up to 10 miles per dollar." Mileage Plus Shopping was developed out of the Momentum Merchant Network, which provides an advanced technological platform eliminating the need for tracking and reporting merchant sales and making all transactions entirely transparent. Current Momentum catalog and retail members include: Spiegel, Lillian Vernon, The Sharper Image, Herrington catalog, Jos.A.Bank, ComputAbility, Cushman's Fruits, Calyx & Corolla, The Convenience Stores of Speedway, ClubComputer.com, Hinckley Springs and The Certificate Store.
Foncard Rate Drop
If you have a Spree prepaid Foncard, the next time you make a call you might be surprised to here a message that you have additional minutes on your card. On May 1st Sprint reduced the rates for its Spree card for both domestic and international calls. The most widely used denominations of the Spree cards, the $10 and $20 cards, will see the biggest percentage of increased minutes. The $10 card will increase from 31 to 40 domestic minutes while the $20 card goes from 63 to 80 minutes. This rate change also affected international calling for calls originating in the United States to more that 210 countries, by lowering the cost up to 50%. Examples of rate changes include the United Kingdom, France and Germany, from 95 cents to 46 cents a minute; Sweden and Norway, $1.85 to 46 cents; Brazil, $1.85 to 92 cents; and Japan, $1.25 to 69 cents. Prepaid-card calls to Mexico have gone from 85 cents a minute to as little as 24 cents a minute depending on the time of day and the region being called. Spree prepaid Foncards are sold in retail outlets and are currently available in $10, $20, $30, $50 and $100 denominations. For the closest location of where Spree cards are sold in your area, please call 800-366-0707.
Dilbert VISA
The 'Dilbert VISA' card is coming! NextCard and United Media announced a joint Internet marketing agreement this month to offer co-branded products and card services for 'Dilbert', the icon of American corporate culture. Both firms will introduce a VISA card soon. NextCard is the "First True Internet VISA" and has attracted 1.7 million online applications for its card products since December 1997. NextCard is featured in CardWeb's 'Credit Card Offers' page. For more information visit www.nextcard.com. Smart High Schools Students that attend Bellevue High School in Bellevue, Ohio, now have an ID card that can be used throughout the school. NewMarket Solutions, Inc. announced they have completed the installation of the first smart card system for a U.S. high school. All 850 students have been issued Digital Photo-ID smart cards that can now be used from everything from purchasing lunch, using a photocopier to opening school doors. The development of technology, which can be integrated into a card, is somewhat responsible for the enormous increase in the use of functional applications. Bar codes, magnetic stripes, and smart chips with processing capability can store the necessary information and access rights a school district requires for each student. For addition information on NMS visit http://www.cardsolutions.com
Starwood Membership Rewards Bonus
If you are traveling between now and August 31, 1999 and you use your American Express card to pay for you stay at Starwood hotels and resorts, you can earn up to 5,000 extra Membership Rewards points. Details of the promotion are as follows: Travelers who stay at participating Sheraton, Westin, Four Points, St. Regis/Luxury Collection, Caesars and W hotels and resorts in the U.S. and pay with an American Express Card will earn 1,000 bonus Membership Rewards points per stay. Customers must register in advance for the promotion by calling Starwood Preferred Guest's customer service (1-888-625-4988) and providing the source code IS. They must also provide the reservation agent with the account number of their eligible enrolled American Express Card. Customers can earn up to 5,000 Membership Rewards bonus points -- representing five stays -- during the duration of the promotion. For additional information visit Starwood online at http://www.starwoodlodging.com.
March Credit Slump
If you stop at an ARCO gas station later this year you might be surprised to find they accept "smart" cards. This smart card trial is slated to get underway later this year in Southern California and Arizona at select locations. Smart cards look like regular credit cards, but how they function is quite different. Smart cards store the transaction information on the card rather that having to dial into the network for verification of funds. This is possible because the cards have embedded chips capable of performing transactions. Smart Card Integrators, Inc. (SCI), the CPI Card Group, Infineon Technologies (formerly Siemens Microelectronics) and Microsoft Corp. will supply technology for the test, one of the most significant real world try outs for smart card payment technology ever undertaken in North America. For more information on ARCO visit: www.arco.com; SCI visit: www.sci-s.com
Plastic Usage
Americans love their plastic and a recent survey shows how much. The survey of 1,202 randomly selected adults was completed to determine consumers' awareness, opinions and usage of plastic cards. Credit, ATM cards and membership cards top the list of most widely used plastic cards. The survey was conducted by Standard Register's National Consumer Survey of Plastic Card Usage. The research found the following percentages of adults use: credit cards, 89 percent; ATM cards, 61 percent; membership cards, 59 percent; debit cards, 37 percent; prepaid cards, 33 percent; prepaid phone cards, 29 percent; loyalty cards, 25 percent; and smart cards, 5 percent. Prepaid cards are poised for major growth. At the top of the list is prepaid calling cards. 29 percent of Americans have used calling cards, most of the time when traveling and they have saved themselves anywhere from a dollar to five dollars a minute. Other services that prepaid cards are being used include gasoline, internet, cellular service and gift cards. Loyalty cards are used by 25 percent of Americans, 36 percent report shopping more often at stores where they participate in a loyalty program. In addition, the influence of a loyalty card on shopping preference was most evident with younger consumers. For survey results go to www.standardregister.com.
