Credit Cards Marketed As Accessories?

[maizeman]

Did anyone else recently get a marketing e-mail (somehow it got through my spam filters) marketing an american express card with the line:

Add a little bling to every swipe with this stylish rose gold credit card

Are there people out there who actually chose credit cards based on the color/appearance of the card itself?

[KodeBlue]

Are there people out there who use a plain ordinary credit card when they could be impressing the cashier (who I am sure gives damn what kind of card you use)?

[exterous]

I blame Chase and the marketing team behind the Sapphire card. When it came out the metal card with numbers on the back* became all the rage (as far as credit card rage goes). You'd hand it over and people would comment on it. "oh fancy card" "oh wow that's heavy" "what kind of card is this?" So yes Cashiers can notice and care.

It showed that people could think of credit cards as status symbols beyond an Amex Black Card. As a card holder you can get attention. It also showed that card design could evolve beyond the standard layout. But now metal cards are more common and there are only so many places to put the numbers so they need to try and stir up something else

*I was an early adopter and found it to be a bit of a PITA when it first came out but I kept it for the benefits. People wouldn't recognize it as a Visa card. Some had to be coerced into trying it "Just try it. It'll go through". Sometimes it was too fat to fit in card slots, most notably at gas station pumps. When my card # got stolen Chase told me to cut it up with scissors. Yeah OK. Aviation shears maybe. Now Chase sends you a little envelope to send the metal cards back to them

[v8rx7guy]

It's just another layer to the very strange onion that is credit card obsession.

https://thepointsguy.com/2016/11/coolest-looking-credit-cards/

https://thepointsguy.com/guide/the-prettiest-credit-cards-ranked/

[Just Joe]

Are there people out there who actually chose credit cards based on the color/appearance of the card itself?

Apparently so. I feel the same way about phones. Once it is wrapped in some sort of case to protect it, who can see what kind of phone it is? Ooooh- the rose gold iPhone...

Show me what you can do with that fancy phone. Great pictures, amazing music collection, do you and Siri have any good debates about politics these days?

My credit card is plastic (and cracked a little), my phone is in a dark colored flip case I paid $12 for. If you have time I have some pictures I took that I'm really proud of... ;)

[RWD]

I had a translucent green credit card from PayPal over a decade ago. It was so cool and people actually commented on it when they swiped it. I can't find a picture online now, unfortunately. I would never choose a credit card based on how it looked, though.

[Just Joe]

I just received an email advertisement for a rose gold American Express card. Tell me its coincidence.

[I'm a red panda]

I think some people use cards to "impress" business associates.

[Dabnasty]

I blame Chase and the marketing team behind the Sapphire card. When it came out the metal card with numbers on the back* became all the rage (as far as credit card rage goes). You'd hand it over and people would comment on it. "oh fancy card" "oh wow that's heavy" "what kind of card is this?" So yes Cashiers can notice and care.

It showed that people could think of credit cards as status symbols beyond an Amex Black Card. As a card holder you can get attention. It also showed that card design could evolve beyond the standard layout. But now metal cards are more common and there are only so many places to put the numbers so they need to try and stir up something else

*I was an early adopter and found it to be a bit of a PITA when it first came out but I kept it for the benefits. People wouldn't recognize it as a Visa card. Some had to be coerced into trying it "Just try it. It'll go through". Sometimes it was too fat to fit in card slots, most notably at gas station pumps. When my card # got stolen Chase told me to cut it up with scissors. Yeah OK. Aviation shears maybe. Now Chase sends you a little envelope to send the metal cards back to them

A propane torch worked for me, and it made some pretty colors as the layers melted

[Dabnasty]

Are there people out there who actually chose credit cards based on the color/appearance of the card itself?

I think the simplest answer would be that providers continue to offer new and unique designs so it must be enough to sway some customers. If it didn't, they probably do the market research that would tell them so.

[FIRE@50]

I would say that CC's have always been marketed this way. Care to join a Diner's Club?

[OtherJen]

I would say that CC's have always been marketed this way. Care to join a Diner's Club?

Yes. When I was an undergrad 20 years ago, one of the shticks that Capital One used to market to college students was the ability to “personalize” your card (i.e., choose from one of a couple dozen background prints/designs).

[Sugaree]

Did anyone else recently get a marketing e-mail (somehow it got through my spam filters) marketing an american express card with the line:

Add a little bling to every swipe with this stylish rose gold credit card

Are there people out there who actually chose credit cards based on the color/appearance of the card itself?

Sure.  Same reason there would be a card with your favorite sports team on it I guess (yes, I had one of those at one point in time.  It had no annual fee and I don't know if I ever even charged anything on it).

[remizidae]

*Shrug.* It's no different than anything else credit card companies do to make their product appealing. Pretty cards, a well-designed app, friendly 24/7 customer service. I won't get a card based on that, but if i have to choose to keep one card rather than another, the one that's easy and pleasant to use is going to win.

[nnls]

I applied for my first card when I was 18 (I was travelling overseas and wanted a card for emergencies and to make bookings) and I chose the credit card company for two reasons,
1. no annual fee
2. I could choose the colour of the card, they had the option of black, silver, pink, blue, green or red

So this kind of thing does work for some people   

[wevan]

Yes. When I was an undergrad 20 years ago, one of the shticks that Capital One used to market to college students was the ability to “personalize” your card (i.e., choose from one of a couple dozen background prints/designs).

My friend's credit card company does this, and he really likes it:  he changes his credit card design every year or so just to get a new picture.

(And he pays off his bill every month without giving them a single dollar of interest.)

[TRD]

I saw the rose gold AmEX and laughed. I was one of those university freshman years ago who got a school credit card just to have the school
mascot and logo on them. The % was something crazy but I never noticed it because I only spent what I had. At least this is a better deal than that was!

[Prairie Stash]

http://fortune.com/2017/08/30/fyre-festival-billy-mcfarland-magnises/
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/antimustachian-wall-of-shame-and-comedy/fyre-festival-the-disaster-of-conspicuous-consumption/

Its great when two threads converge. The same man who brought us Fyre festival started by bringing us Magnises, a stylish black card for millenials of New York. It emphasized style over substance, people fell for it.