Released: July 26, 2006

Custom credit cards distract from rates/terms

Source: By Chris Woodyard, USA Today

Consumers hankering to show off their family photos — or their car or their dog — are getting more chances every time they whip out a credit card. That’s because more credit providers are offering photo credit cards, in which a favorite image is emblazoned on the face of the plastic.

The latest include a configure-your-own car online that appears on the credit card of BMW’s Mini division, and your favorite pet on a PetRewards Visa, co-sponsored by the makers of Science Diet pet food.

“Lately, everyone has been trying to make cards that look different from everyone else,” says Spencer Nilson, founder of The Nilson Report, a newsletter that follows the credit card industry.

The idea isn’t entirely new. Companies have been putting customers’ faces on credit cards as far back as the 1970s, says Diogo Teixeira, president of the American Credit Card Collectors Society.

But the idea of images of all sorts on credit cards never really caught on until the digital photo revolution, which makes it easy to send a picture via the Internet. “It’s fast, it’s quick, it’s all automated,” he says.

Plus, “There is demand for personalization,” says Niki Manby, senior vice president of product innovation for Visa USA. “Now, consumers have lots of choices.”

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