American Express has announced 'an in-store promotion enabling shoppers to receive a free Spring Fling Card worth $25 from American Express Incentive Services when they purchase two American Express Gift Cards of any value at select drug stores and supermarkets, and at American Express Travel Service offices, through June 30, 2008.'   » Continue Reading

Universal Studios has announced it has entered into a multi-year marketing and financial services alliance with GE Money and American Express. Under the arrangement, American Express becomes the official payment of choice at Universal Studios Theme Parks Resorts; GE Money becomes the Parks' official financial services sponsor; and the companies launch the new Universal American Express Card issued by GE Money.   » Continue Reading

TechCrunch's Erick Schonfeld takes a look at Foster City, CA-based Rearden Commerce - a company that reportedly has just closed a $100 MM financing round from investors including American Express, JPMorgan Chase, Oak Investment Partners, and Foundation Capital. While Rearden's largest customer currently is American Express, Schonfeld notes that "in addition to being an investor, Chase has also signed on as Rearden’s second giant customer. It plans on offering Rearden’s personal Web concierge service to its 90 million bank card holders. Anyone with a Chase bank account, whether business or personal, will be able to use the service."

Vauhini Vara and Mylene Mangalindan also report on Rearden for the Wall St. Journal.

Update: Here's Rearden Commerce's funding announcement press release as well as its press release announcing Rearden's new strategic relationship with Chase Card Services.

Asiana Airlines, Bank of America, and American Express have announced the launch of the new Asiana American Express Card from Bank of America. The card provides two miles per dollar on everyday purchases and access to members-only golf courses in Korea and throughout the Asia Pacific region.   » Continue Reading

American Express has reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2008 with net income from continuing operations down 11% compared to the same quarter last year while revenues net of interest expense were up 11%.   » Continue Reading

American Express and Delta Air Lines have announced the launch of Delta Reserve Credit Card and the Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card, new premium co-branded credit cards for U.S.-based consumers. According to the two companies, 'the Delta Reserve Credit Cards are designed to cater to the needs of Delta’s on-the-go customers and provides Cardmembers with a greatly enhanced travel experience through benefits such as the ability to earn Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) faster, share MQMs with family and friends for the first time ever, access to the dedicated Breezeway priority boarding lane and frequent traveler security line, Delta Crown Room Clubs access, and 24-7 concierge services.' The cards have an annual fee of $450.   » Continue Reading

The House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit is holding a hearing today on H.R. 5244, The Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights. The prepared testimony of the witnesses is available on the Subcommittee's hearing page. Four consumers are testifying along with other financial services regulators (from the Federal Reserve, FDIC, OCC, and OTS), card industry executives (from Citi Cards, American Express, and Discover) and consumer groups (Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Action, and US PIRG).

Update: CNNMoney.com reports on the hearing and testimony by Sen. Carl Levin and Sen. Ron Wyden who both urged the House to take action on the legislation.

Robin Sidel reports for the Wall St. Journal on American Express' plans to discontinue its 'Express Pay' contactless keyfob. An Amex spokesman says that they've found their customers prefer to use contactless in the traditional card form factor, not in a keyfob.

American Express and GE Money have announced that they have 'entered into an agreement for American Express to purchase Corporate Payment Services, GE’s commercial card and corporate purchasing business unit, for $1.1 billion in cash. The sale, which is subject to customary closing conditions and certain regulatory approvals, is expected to be completed by the end of the month.'   » Continue Reading

A new survey by CFO Research Services prepared in collaboration with American Express reveals that mid-size companies have a plan to weather uncertain economic times by adopting savvier ways of managing costs, controlling some areas of spending, and investing more in employee productivity tools. But the survey also shows that growing firms face a considerable challenge in taming their costs, since many forego the benefits of negotiated discounts by permitting employees to spend with vendors who are not preferred suppliers.   » Continue Reading

Several SEC Form 10-K Annual Report filings have been completed by various payments-related firms over the last few days including: TSYS, American Express, Fiserv, MasterCard Worldwide, Discover Financial Services, and Visa Inc.

American Express and Heartland Payment Systems have announced that they will offer a streamlined process that enables merchants to accept American Express Cards on Heartland’s merchant processing platform.   » Continue Reading

NOVA Information Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp, and American Express have announced "the signing of an agreement under which NOVA will sign up and service American Express merchants on behalf of American Express. Under the terms of the agreement, NOVA will add American Express® Card acceptance to the payment processing services offered to merchants. NOVA will provide processing, settlement, customer support and reporting to merchants for all major card brands."   » Continue Reading

In an article titled 'High-End Cards Fall From Grace', the Wall St. Journal's Robin Sidel and David Enrich report on last week's news from American Express and Capital One about increasing delinquencies in their credit card portfolios. Later this week, other major issuers will report financial results - including JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup. Another very large issuer, Bank of America, will be reporting financial results next week.

Over the weekend, the New York Times' Floyd Norris reported on last week's Federal Reserve report about the recent surge in growth in consumer revolving debt.

American Express and First Data Corp. have announced the signing of an agreement whereby First Data will offer American Express Card acceptance as part of an integrated solution for small- and medium-sized merchants.   » Continue Reading

American Express has announced an agreement with Bank of America "to offer American Express Gift Cards at participating Bank of America retail banking centers, significantly increasing customer reach for American Express Gift Cards."   » Continue Reading

American Express has announced results from a new gift card survey finding that Americans plan to spend nearly a quarter of their gift-giving budgets on gift cards this year, up from 18% last year and 13% in 2005.   » Continue Reading

The Network Branded Prepaid Card Association has announced results from a recent survey about gift cards that carry the American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa logo that finds that extremely high levels of consumer satisfaction are driving their triple-digit annual growth. The survey, conducted by Dan Horne, professor at Providence College, found that more than 93% of consumers who buy branded gift cards are satisfied with their purchase.   » Continue Reading

American Express has announced free online shipping and discounts on rush orders when American Express Gift Cards are purchased before December 10, 2007.   » Continue Reading

Eric Dash reports for the New York Times on yesterday's announcement of a settlement in the antitrust litigation between American Express and Visa. Dash notes that there is still pending litigation between American Express and MasterCard as well as between Discover and both MasterCard and Visa. Jane J. Kim reports on the settlement for the Wall St. Journal.

It's official - American Express has announced that "it has reached an agreement to drop Visa as a defendant in a lawsuit alleging that MasterCard, Visa and their member banks had illegally blocked American Express from the bank-issued card business in the United States. Under terms of the settlement agreement, Visa will pay a maximum amount of $2.25 billion to American Express. Individual banks named in the lawsuit will also be dropped as defendants. These include: J.P. Morgan Chase, Capital One, U.S. Bancorp, Wells Fargo and Providian. The agreement is subject to the approval of Visa’s member banks."

Separately, Visa Inc. announced the settlement - saying: "The member institutions of Visa USA - and not Visa Inc. - bear the responsibility for funding the settlement through the application of Visa's retrospective responsibility plan. The plan includes a multi-step mechanism to fund financial obligations of Visa USA and Visa International related to certain litigation, including the American Express case. Through this mechanism, any payments made by Visa Inc. as part of this settlement ultimately will be reimbursed by Visa USA member institutions."

Following up on a report earlier today on CNBC, Jane Kim and Nathan Koppel report for the Wall St. Journal that "American Express Co. and Visa USA Inc. agreed to settle an antitrust case for $2.25 billion, according to people familiar with the situation."

Aite Group has published a new report titled "The Future of Card Networks: Gauging Battle-Readiness for a Post-Visa IPO World" that "considers how the world will look in a post-Visa IPO world, in which the four major card networks, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover, are publicly traded companies."   » Continue Reading

Clear, a service provider of registered traveler security express lanes at U.S. airports, has announced a strategic marketing partnership with American Express enabling American Express corporate cardmembers to receive preferred pricing (14 months of membership for the price of 12) on Clear's annual membership and appointment enrollment privileges at Clear's network of off-airport city enrollment centers.   » Continue Reading

American Express has announced financial results for the third quarter - reporting that "third quarter diluted EPS from continuing operations" increased 18% over last year. Worldwide billed business grew 16% to $162.5 billion, worldwide cards in force great 11% to 84.7 million, and worldwide average spending per proprietary card increased 8% to $3,006 in the quarter.

American Express has introduced "a new line of Customizable Gift Cards to enable large companies and small businesses alike to send special messages to valued employees, clients, and customers." The cards can be ordered online in quantities of 1 to 1,400 cards, up to $35,000, at http://www.americanexpress.com/gift.   » Continue Reading

J.D. Power and Associates has announced the results of its 2007 Credit Card Satisfaction Study - finding that American Express ranks highest among credit card issuers in overall customer satisfaction followed closely by Discover.   » Continue Reading

American Express has announced agent bank alliances with BankAtlantic and Harris Bank. The agent bank agreements call for the companies to jointly market small business charge and credit cards that carry the banks' and American Express brands.

This morning's Heard on the Street column by the Wall St. Journal's Robin Sidel reports on American Express - saying that some investers are concerned "that the company is increasing its exposure to consumers at a time when some of them may have trouble paying their bills."

Yesterday, American Express reported financial results for the second quarter 2007. Amex reported that spending on its cards increased 15 percent with more than two million new cards issued in the quarter, a 10 percent increase. Amex's average merchant discount rate was 2.57% - unchanged.

We have received news of the following recent management changes:

• Kim Goodman has been named Executive Vice President, Merchant Services North America, for American Express. Ms. Goodman will be responsible for "overseeing all aspects of Amex’s relationships with merchants that accept the American Express Card in the United States and Canada, including acquiring new merchants and deepening relationships across the American Express merchant network." A native of Chicago, Ms. Goodman, 42, earned both a Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Science at Stanford University, and a Masters in Business Administration at Harvard Business School.

Liz Moyer writes for Forbes.com about so-called elite credit cards - including Bank of America's new Accolades American Express card. She points out that "Amex Black (Centurion) carries an annual fee of $2,500 and a minimum annual purchase threshold of $250,000."

American Express has introduced new Membership Rewards program levels that the company says are "aligned with specific Card products designed to better meet Cardmember lifestyle and reward program usage needs."   » Continue Reading

American Express Company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kenneth I. Chenault has announced management changes to reflect a reorganization of the company into two distinct customer-focused groups:

• Alfred F. Kelly, Jr., now president of American Express Company, will head the Global Consumer Group.
• Edward P. Gilligan, now vice chairman of American Express Company, will head the Global Business-to-Business Group.

Kelly and Gilligan will both report to Chenault.   » Continue Reading

TowerGroup has announced a new research report titled "Lessons in Loyalty: A Look Inside the American Express Rewards Program" by Brian Riley, senior analyst in the Bank Cards practice.   » Continue Reading

Bank of America has introduced the Bank of America Accolades American Express card, calling it "the first premium credit card designed exclusively for Bank of America's affluent, wealthy and ultra- wealthy clients served through Premier Banking & Investments, The Private Bank of Bank of America and its extension, Family Wealth Advisors." In an article titled 'More Banks Go Black With American Express Cards for Wealthy", Valerie Bauerlein and Robin Sidel report for the Wall St. Journal on BofA's announcement - along with a similar product expected soon from Citigroup.   » Continue Reading

American Express Incentive Services and Givex have announced they have entered into a licensing agreement under which Givex will license two AEIS patents (U.S. Patent Numbers 5,689,100 and 5,956,695) that enable AEIS’ patented merchant acceptance feature, DirectSpend, to strategically direct cardholder spend to selected merchants.   » Continue Reading

American Express has announced that IndyMac Bank, the nation’s second largest independent mortgage lender, will be among the first to offer this Express Rewards Mortgage program to borrowers seeking eligible prime loans.   » Continue Reading

Robin Sidel reports for the Wall St. Journal that Citigroup is "replacing thousands of Visa-branded American Airlines credit cards with new account numbers and cards that carry the American Express logo." Some cardholders aren't happy about the change.

American Express has announced that its cardholders will be able to pay monthly home mortgage payments on its cards. Amex said that "American Home Mortgage Corp. will be the first lender to offer this Express Rewards Mortgage program for eligible prime loans." The program also provides Amex's Membership Rewards, cash back, airline or hotel points or other types of rewards affiliated with their card for the mortgage payments. Cardholders must pay a one-time fee of $395 to the lender for enrollment in the Express Rewards Mortgage program at the time of mortgage closing.   » Continue Reading

Ephraim Schwartz writes for InfoWorld about plans by American Express to "launch a consumer service in the fourth quarter that will give American Express cardholders access to American Express's own negotiated rates for thousands of products that it buys annually."

American Express has announced what it is calling "a unique online initiative called The Members Project that enables American Express Cardmembers to come together as a community by submitting and sharing their project ideas for making a positive impact in the world."   » Continue Reading

American Express has begun marketing two new corporate purchasing solutions as part of its expanding S2S (Source-to-Settle) product suite. The company has announced S2S Contract Audit & Recovery and S2S Catalog Pro, which it says are "designed to help companies optimize performance, drive savings and increase control and compliance in their supply chains."   » Continue Reading

American Express has announced the launch of "three new special occasion Gift Cards: The American Express Gift Cards Especially for Dining, Especially for the Bride and Groom, and Especially for Movie Lovers."   » Continue Reading

American Express reported first quarter financial results - including a 15 percent growth in worldwide billed business to $146.2B, a 10 percent increase in total cards in force to 79.9MM, worldwide average spending per proprietary basic card in force increased 8%, worldwide lending balances of $42.3B on an owned basis increased 29%; on a managed basis, and worldwide lending balances of $63.2B were up 18%. American Express reported its average merchant discount rate was 2.58% in 1Q ’07 and in 1Q ‘06 compared to 2.55% in 4Q ’06 - saying it reflects the seasonally higher retail spend levels during the fourth quarter

Stuart Elliott writes for the New York Times about American Express' plan to change advertising campaigns beginning Monday - retiring the "My life, my card" theme and switching to a new one that asks "Are you a cardmember?".

American Express and Citibank have announced an agreement for Citibank to sell the American Express Gift Card in more than 980 of its Citibank retail Financial Centers nationwide. American Express says that the agreement with Citibank is its first with a national bank.   » Continue Reading

Glenbrook's Bryan Derman attended yesterday’s briefing in New York by American Express on its new B2B commerce solution and had an opportunity to speak directly with a few of the executives involved. Here's his report on this new service.   » Continue Reading

American Express has announced S2SSM eInvoice&Pay, calling it "the first fully integrated Electronic Invoice Presentment and Payment (EIPP) solution. With S2S eInvoice&Pay, companies can now process 100% of their invoices and issue payments to their suppliers from a single online portal managed by American Express."   » Continue Reading

Following earlier press reports that it was about to do so, Citi has officially announced that "Gary Crittenden, formerly Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and head of Global Network Services at American Express, will become its Chief Financial Officer. He will report directly to Charles Prince, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, effective March 12, 2007."   » Continue Reading

Eric Dash reports for the New York Times that Citigroup is expected shortly to name Gary Crittenden, currently CFO of American Express, as CFO of Citigroup.

Leslie Pappas reports for the Wilmington News Journal that Chase Card Services last year pulled ahead of Bank of America to become the largest US issuer of Visa and Mastercard cards (based upon receivables outstanding) - but Bank of America still remains the largest credit card issuer when the bank's new American Express card portfolio is added in.

In yesterday's investor conference call talking points (PDF), American Express CFO Gary Crittenden briefly discussed the average merchant discount rate - which remained flat year over year at 2.55% - with the additional comment that while the longer term trend on the discount rate is negative due to repricing and mix changes among various merchant categories, "the rate has been buoyed more recently by the fact that in some merchant segments, repricing activities have had a positive effect in recognition of the substantial value we bring to those merchants."

American Express has published its fourth quarter financial results - reporting a growth of 16% in its worldwide billed business, a 10% increase in total cards issued worldwide, and a 7% increase in average spending per card.   » Continue Reading

The San Francisco area Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) has announced it will begin selling its Fastrak electronic toll transponders in local Costco's and Safeway's. As part of this retail distribution roll-out, BATA has partnered with American Express who is offering $3 to $5 in free tolls to buyers who link their American Express cards to their Fastrak transponders.

Back in early August, American Express held one of its semi-annual analyst meetings - with one of the focus topics being how the Internet has affected American Express. A copy of Jud Linville's presentation (along with his speech text) are available online and make for some very interesting reading. Linville is Amex's President of US Consumer Card and also responsible for the company's global interactive business development. During the presentation, Linville reviews the three major phases (1.0 - Cost Reduction, 2.0 - Business Accelerant, and 3.0 - Building Our Brand) of Amex's online efforts over the last decade.   » Continue Reading

Chevron has announced that it has implemented partial authorization at the pump, claiming to be the first major gasoline brand to do so. Partial authorization allows American Express Prepaid Cards, including American Express Gift Cards and American Express Traveler Cheque Cards, to be approved at Chevron and Texaco gasoline dispensers by recognizing the dollar balance on the card.   » Continue Reading

American Express and eFunds Corporation have announced "a global, multi-year strategic partnership in which eFunds will provide processing services for the American Express portfolio of prepaid cards."   » Continue Reading

American Express has announced that it is launching a suite of source-to-settle electronic solutions named S2S designed to help companies drive greater levels of cost savings while improving control and compliance requirements. Amex claims this combination will leverage its commercial card business with its procurement capabilities. American Express also announced it will acquire Harbor Payments, an Atlanta-based technology provider that delivers e-invoice and e-payment capabilities.   » Continue Reading

Matt Kranz, USA Today's financial markets reporter, compares the stocks of American Express vs. MasterCard (which closed over $100 yesterday!). Bottom line: he's concerned about MasterCard's current PE ratio and its limited history as a public company.

American Express has announced the launch of First Collection, "a new, distinctively elegant collection of premium partners and offers exclusively available to American Express Platinum Card and Centurion Card members through the Membership Rewards program. This is the first time that the Membership Rewards program offers rewards and partners specifically for American Express Platinum and Centurion Card members." Kathy Chu reports for USA Today on the new program.   » Continue Reading

American Express Business Travel has announced the launch of an “Intelligent Online Marketplace” for travel and related business services.   » Continue Reading

MediaPost's Judy Warner looks at the holiday promotions this season being run by American Express, MasterCard, and Visa. According to Warner, "the common thrust of the charge card companies is to encourage repeat card usage through value-added incentives such as points, rewards, special offers, and contests."

American Express has announced that its charge cardmembers will be able to physically include a gift insurance reminder with gifts by downloading the new American Express Gift Insurance Receipt that "communicates the protections offered by American Express." The receipt will be available for downloading from November 15 through December 31 at http://www.800thecard.com.   » Continue Reading

The 2006 American Express Gift Card survey of 1013 shoppers concludes that, for the first time, "gift cards will supplant toys, games, music and movies as the gift of choice, and will rival even the perennial favorite, apparel, as the gift to give and get this holiday season."   » Continue Reading

American Express has announced the opening of a "Members Lounge" at The Mall at Short Hills in Short Hills, New Jersey. According to Amex, its "Members Lounge is the ultimate destination, designed to reinvigorate Cardmembers as they shop during the busy holiday season. The Mall at Short Hills is one of the country's preeminent luxury shopping destinations, making it a prime partner to house the Members Lounge for American Express(R) Cardmembers. This is the first time American Express has hosted a Members Lounge at a retail shopping location."   » Continue Reading

Jack in the Box has announced the installation of new contactless payment card readers at all company restaurants will be completed by Dec. 31 - to "offer guests an easier, quicker way to pay. Guests will be able to pay simply by holding their cards in front of a reader at the front counter or drive-thru window. No swipe required." Jack in the Box partnered with American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa for the rollout.   » Continue Reading

American Express has announced the American Express SimplyCash Business Card which "gives cash back on virtually all purchases and automatically delivers the rewards each month as a statement credit."   » Continue Reading

CIGNA HealthCare has announced HealthePass, "a comprehensive new solution designed to simplify and improve payment processes to help patients anticipate and manage their health care costs, shorten provider revenue cycle and help address patient bad debt."   » Continue Reading

Dana Dratch writes for Bankrate.com about "spend to save" credit cards such as the American Express One card launched a year ago that deposits 1% of the amount purchased into a high-yield savings account.

American Express reported quarterly financial results today that included 15 percent growth in cardmember spending, average spending per card up 6%, and the addition of more than 2 million new cards in the quarter. Amex's average merchant discount remained essentially flat at 2.57%.

American Express has announced the "Event Ticket Protection Plan, a new benefit available to consumer and business Gold, Platinum and Centurion Card members at no extra cost. Through the Event Ticket Protection Plan, American Express will reimburse Card members for the cost of tickets purchased with their eligible Card to virtually any event that takes place within the United States, including theater, concert and sporting tickets that they are unable to use due to a covered incident."   » Continue Reading

Bank of America is featuring on its home page its new American Express-branded Rewards Card. It appears the bank is offering the same signup offers on the Amex card as it is currently offering on its Visa Signature and MasterCard WorldPoints cards - a 0% APR on balance transfers and cash advance checks during the first 12 billing cycles on the card along with a $50 statement credit following use of the card for "qualifying transactions" (read the fine print!).

OPEN from American Express has announced the expansion of its OPEN Savings program with the launch of airline partners Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways. OPEN Savings gives small business owners automatic savings virtually every time they use an American Expres Business Card to make purchases at any OPEN Savings partner.   » Continue Reading

Ecommerce malls are back. In the early days of ecommerce, there were some true believers who felt that the real-world shopping mall would transform into online malls. Some tried, most failed. Today, they're back. In the latest mall news, American Express today launched the Bonus Points Mall, "a new benefit that enables Membership Rewards enrollees to earn two points for virtually every dollar spent at more than 100 top brand name online retailers."   » Continue Reading

Jane Kim reports for the Wall St. Journal on an expected announcement by American Express today that it is working with New York real-estate firm Moinian Group to allow condominium buyers to pay for their down payments using their American Express cards. Talk about a big ticket purchase!

American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa International have announced the formation of an independent council - the PCI Security Standards Council - designed to manage the ongoing evolution of the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard.   » Continue Reading

Aleksandra Todorova writes for SmartMoney.com asking whether it's time to cancel your America Express card - based upon the changes Amex announced recently to increase card fees and reduce its rewards benefits.

Blackhawk Network has announced the launch of its gift card program in the United Kingdom. According to Blackhawk, "since its founding in 2001, Blackhawk Network has grown its North American card roster to feature more than 100 brands including retailers such as Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Best Buy, Gap Inc., iTunes Music Card, Pizza Hut, Starbucks Coffee, The Home Depot, and Sears." Blackhawk Network also distributes prepaid debit and gift cards from American Express, MasterCard, and Visa.   » Continue Reading

The Merchant Account Blog from MerchantEquip.com reports on a joint news release that was issued just a few days ago from Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club, JCB and Discover outlining what businesses need to do to secure cardholder data.

Robin Sidel and Anjali Athavaley reports for the Wall St. Journal on a "sweeping overhaul" expected to be announced today of American Express' Membership Rewards cardholder rewards program. Among the expected changes are the elimination of double rewards points when Amex cards are used for "everyday spending" at supermarkets, drug stores and gas stations. The article says that Amex is planning to launch next month a new "Bonus Point Mall, which will award Membership Rewards members two points for each dollar spent at the online-shopping sites of more than 100 online retailers."

Bank of America made it official today with the launch of the Bank of America American Express Rewards Card -- "the first Bank of America credit card to be accepted for payment on the American Express global network."   » Continue Reading