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MBNA Customers, Be Aware

Contributed by mm | December 9, 2004 08:27 AM PST



Do you know that the Visa card you use most often can, without your consent, become an American Express card? This is what happened to many MBNA customers recently, as reported by New York Times.

According to the article, MBNA "invited most of his group's 100,000 members to apply for American Express cards this fall. But it chose about 5 percent of them to switch automatically unless they notified the company that they did not want the new credit cards, known as MBNA Rewards American Express cards."null

One month ago, I shared the news that MBNA started to issue Amex card. My judgment was the reward offer in its first product, MBNA Rewards American Express card, was not attractive at all, even compared to MBNA's existing product line.

On the other side of the table, MBNA has all the incentive to push or convert more people to the Amex camp. Why? Amex charges more merchant fee than Visa or Master, so by keeping (or lowering) the rewards, MBNA can get a fatter cut of the pie.

But is it ethical to convert cardholders without explicit consent? MBNA really crossed the line this time. Good for MBNA investors, not good for MBNA customers. MBNA is testing sutomers' loyalty and probably it will see the revenge soon.

null

This post has 2 comments. Read and share your opinions.
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Comments
>>> hs2525 Commented on December 10, 2004

They upgraded me automatically, and I called back and changed it back to my existing MBNA Quantum Card. I was angry they did this without my consent, but I am OK now.

"Resistance is Futile, you will be assimilated"


>>> REM Commented on December 29, 2004

MBNA reduced Quantum Visa card travel accident insurance coverage from $1,000,000 to $100,000.
Platinum Amex. coverage is $500,000.

They are stacking the deck in favor of Amex. which is unfortunate since Amex. has much less coverage than Visa.


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Read More ... 41 Posts In The Same Category

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04/29/05 | Citi Backpedaling Popular Credit Card Offer? | (9)
03/18/05 | What's In Your Credit Score | (1)
03/16/05 | Call You Tell Good Debt From Bad Debt? | (3)
02/16/05 | How High Can Credit Card Interest Rate Be? | (1)
02/07/05 | Why Do Credit Cards Expire? | (1)
01/08/05 | 10 Credit Card Tips for 2005 | (1)
12/27/04 | Average Size Of Credit Card Transaction | (2)
12/13/04 | Who Is Stronger? Visa or Mastercard? | (2)
11/23/04 | Free Credit Reports Are On The Way | (1)
11/10/04 | Kmart Rewards
11/06/04 | MBNA Starts to Issue American Express Cards
11/04/04 | How MBNA Takes Away Your Benefits, Gradually | (2)
10/17/04 | The Radical Guide to Credit Cards
10/14/04 | Watch Out for Bad-Loan Signals
10/07/04 | Dirty Secrets of Airline Credit Cards
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