Visa Signature Card Delivers Premium Features

Business Wire, June 4, 1998

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 4, 1998--

New High-End Signature Card Includes Upscale Benefits Such As Concierge Service and Preferred Access Program

Looking for a cigar bar in Chicago? Need a four-star seafood restaurant on New York's upper-east side? What about that perfect tee-time in Scottsdale? Thanks to Visa U.S.A.'s new Visa Signature Card, they're all just a phone call away. With a number of high-end features, the new Visa Signature Card offers a unique set of value-added services and benefits to meet the needs of upscale, time-pressed, service-oriented consumers.

Visa Signature cardholders across the country are already enjoying the following amenities: a 24-hour telephone Concierge Service; Visa's Preferred Access Program, offering access to exclusive and one-of-a-kind events; a Preferred Travel Program; and an exceptional airmiles rewards program. Furthermore, Visa Signature features no pre-set spending limit so cardholders are guaranteed the level of purchasing power they require.

"When creating the Visa Signature Card, we asked ourselves two questions," said Robert Stock, senior vice president, Credit Products at Visa U.S.A. "'Which services and benefits are upscale consumers looking for in a credit card?' and 'How can we package these services in a way that is useful and accessible to cardholders while distinguishing Visa?' After considerable research on these questions, the Visa Signature Card was developed to maximize cardholder value and to respond directly to consumer needs."

Features of the new Visa Signature Card include:

Visa Concierge Service: Available 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week, the Concierge Service provides a wide range of services including: obtaining reservations at special events and fine dining establishments; coordinating business services; preparing gift arrangements; supplying travel information; and locating hard-to-find items.

Visa Preferred Access Program: This feature gives Visa Signature cardholders access to a host of exclusive and unusual events where they will receive VIP treatment and hospitality. Visa currently has under development opportunities which leverage its high-profile sponsorships with the NFL, the Olympic Games, Bon Appetit magazine, and several renowned orchestras throughout the country, to name just a few. Preferred Access could put Visa Signature Cardholders in Miami for Super Bowl XXXIII, in Honolulu for Pro Bowl '99 or at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Visa Signature Preferred Travel Program: Visa Signature Cardholders benefit from automatic room upgrades, guaranteed late check-out and access to room blocks unavailable to the general public when they book through a Visa Signature 1-800 number. Hotel partners include world-renowned The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., with more than 37 Mobil Five and Four star, and AAA Five and Four-Diamond award properties, and Top European Hotel Group Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts, with nearly 100 properties worldwide, including their deluxe line of Meridien Signature Hotels including the Grosvenor House in London, and the Hotel Eden in Rome. Visa Signature Cardholders will also receive free upgrades with Avis Rent A Car to the next higher class of car through Avis' Preferred Renter Program at no cost. Guaranteed airport parking at 50 airports across the U.S., an upgrade program and inclusion in their Blue Chip Express rental program, are also available through an arrangement with Thrifty Car Rental.

Additional features and benefits delivered by the Visa Signature Card include:

- No pre-set limit on spending, which allows cardholders all

the necessary spending power, coupled with an option to revolve a portion of the charges each month.

- An exceptional airmile rewards program that allows card

Issuers the flexibility to structure the program in a way that best suits the needs of their cardholders. This may include the option for cardholders to apply mileage bonus points to any airline carrier.

- A Visa Signature Instant Rewards program featuring special

offers at upscale retailers and other merchants.

- Visa's global acceptance network and travel assistance

program, which aids travelers in replacing lost or stolen cards and documents, obtaining medical and legal assistance, and managing other travel-related emergencies.

"The Visa Signature Card sends a message to cardholders. It says that Visa understands their time-pressed, service-oriented lifestyle and that it values their business," explained Stock. "It also carries a cache that tells merchants that the Visa Signature Cardholder is a sophisticated consumer."

Associates National Bank (Delaware) is the first Issuer of the Visa Signature Card, having completed a mailing to select customers. Additional Issuers have since begun issuing the card, with others to be announced in the near future.

Visa is the leading card brand and the largest consumer payment system worldwide. It plays a pivotal role in advancing new payment products and technologies to benefit its 21,000 member financial institutions, their cardholders, and the global economy. Visa is the only consumer payment system to facilitate $1 trillion worth of purchases of goods and services in a fiscal year. Visa's 641 million cards are accepted at more than 14 million worldwide locations, including more than 400,000 ATMs in the Visa/PLUS Global ATM Network. Visa's Internet address is www.visa.com.