Product Design in UK Plastic Cards - What Can Be Learnt from Abroad?

Publication Date	May 2008
Publisher	Datamonitor
Product Type	Brief
Pages	26
ISBN Number	not applicable
Product Code	DAT08397

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Summary

Introduction

Part of the UK Plastic Cards 2008 series, this brief provides insight into some of the most innovative value propositions from card issuers around the world and examines how such products could be adapted by issuers in the UK. The brief examines products that encourage good account management, as well as customer segmentation and products that link payment cards to mortgages.

Scope

The brief looks at products in the US, Europe and the Middle East. Includes a detailed discussion on payment card account management, a particularly topical subject. Contains several examples of how issuers have used their cards to cross sell other financial products. Examines customisable credit cards from overseas markets, discussing how suitable such products would be in the UK.

Highlights

Issuers in the US and Asia pacific regions have created products that reward good account management. This has been achieved by designing reward programs around timely repayments in addition to transactional loyalty. In North America, several issuers have card loyalty schemes that help cardholders to pay off their mortgages by using cashback from transactions to make overpayments. While the long term benefits can be very valuable to the cardholder, there are several potential obstacles to overcome in order for an issuer to set up such a program. Card individualization has been taken to new levels by issuers in the US. Cardholders can customize the trade-off between rewards earned, interest rates charged and interest free periods to create their ideal card. However, there are pitfalls for such models, which could explain the withdrawal of the Accucard product from the UK market in 2006.

Reasons to Purchase

Find out what issuers are doing in other markets to attract and retain cardholders. Understand innovative product designs across the areas of account management, loyalty, and customer segmentation. Discover how innovations in other markets could be applied in the UK.

Content

Overview
Catalyst
Summary
- Table of figures
- Table of tables
- Product Design in the UK - What can be Learnt from Abroad?
Introduction
- Account management is of increasing importance to issuers
- One way of encouraging good account management is to reward on time payments
- in the US, Discover launched the Motiva card, that rewards on time payments
- in Australia, ANZ Bank has also launched a product that incentivizes the paying off of balances
- Aside from reward programs, issuers can encourage disciplined account management through other product features
- in the US, Wal-Mart has introduced a prepaid card to help families budget
- Issuers can also help cardholders by making it easier to make payments
- in the US, both Citi and Bank of America have introduced mobile banking services
- Cards and Payments Team's view on cards that reward good account management
- Issuers in North America have been innovative in linking card products to long-term financial commitments
- One issue with this type of reward scheme is the compatibility of the mortgages of other financial services providers
- in Canada, MBNA and MCAP launched a co-brand card
- in the US, the largest mortgage lender has launched a credit card product
- in a related move, in the US American Express has launched a product that allows cardholders to pay their monthly mortgage repayments from their American Express card
- Cards and Payments Team's view on cards that are linked to mortgage products
- Customer segmentation is an area in which UK issuers could learn from foreign issuers
- Issuers in several countries have launched card products that are aimed specifically at men and women
- in Greece, Citibank has launched a credit card aimed at male card owners
- in Australia ANZ Bank has launched a website for its female customers
- in the US, American Express has issued a series of cards based on location
- Cards and Payments Team view on segmenting customers
- The next step from customer segmentation is product individualization
- Some foreign issuers allow cardholders to put a photograph of their choice on the card
- Spanish and Nordic issuers have been particularly innovative in this area
- Cards and Payments Team view on customizing card appearance
- Issuers in the Middle East continue to have impressive personalized loyalty systems, assisted by chip based technology
- Mashreqbank's WOW! Card rewards repeat purchases rather than transactional loyalty
- Cards & Payments Team view on the individualization of loyalty products
- A final way to customize a payment card is to allow cardholders to select their own pricing structure
- in the US, Capital One's Card Lab allows cardholders to create their ideal card
- Cards and Payment's Team view on products that allow cardholders to select their own price structures
Summary
Appendix
- Definitions
- Average transaction value
- Balances outstanding
- Charge card
- Credit card
- Interchange
- Methodology
- Primary research
- Secondary research
- Further reading
- Ask the analyst
- Datamonitor consulting
- Disclaimer
List of Tables
- Table 1: Current relevant Datamonitor publications, 2008
- Table 2: Future relevant Datamonitor publications, 2008
List of Figures
- Figure 1: The Discover Motiva card rewards on time payments, 2008
- Figure 2: The ANZ Balance Visa rewards cardholders for paying off their balance, 2008
- Figure 3: The Wal-Mart prepaid Visa card helps consumers manage limited funds, 2008
- Figure 4: Credit cards linked to mortgage products can present a powerful proposition to homeowners, 2008
- Figure 5: The MCAP card helps cardholders to reduce their mortgage terms, 2008
- Figure 6: The Countrywide Visa can save cardholders more than $11,000 over ten years, 2008
- Figure 7: La Caixa allows cardholders to personalize cards with their own photographs, 2008
- Figure 8: Chips allow merchants to encourage repeat business, 2008
- Figure 9: Chips can bring together a range of offers to make a compelling customer loyalty offering
- Figure 10: Applicants can select their card features using Capital One's Card Lab, 2008