MasterCard Co-Brand Partners Shine in Miami

Business Wire, May 13, 2004

Business Editors

2004 MasterCard Co-Brand Partners Forum

PURCHASE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 13, 2004

Annual Forum Opens Doors to MasterCard Co-Brand Hall of Fame;

Inductees include American Airlines, Citibank, JPMorgan Chase,

Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC, Universal Entertainment

MasterCard International today named the inaugural recipients of the North America Co-Brand Partner of the Year Award. The honors bestowed at the 2004 MasterCard Co-Brand Partners Forum, held in Miami, Florida, included induction into the newly constituted MasterCard International Co-Brand Hall of Fame, established to annually recognize excellence and innovation in co-brand payment card programs.

North America Co-Brand Partner of the Year recipients were selected from the 9,500 MasterCard co-brand programs available in the United States and Canada, distinguished as follows:

"Best Launch in 2003"

Marathon Platinum MasterCard(R) Card from Chase

-- Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC and Chase launched the Marathon

Platinum MasterCard in August 2003. This co-branded credit

card allows card members to earn rebates for purchases at more

than 3,900 Marathon brand locations throughout the Midwest and

the Southeast portions of the country. The co-brand team fully

engaged its dealers and employees in efforts to inform

consumers about the Marathon Platinum MasterCard from Chase,

including targeted direct mail, comprehensive signage kits,

employee sales training and contests, and television spots.

The team took extensive steps to build support of the program

at all levels of the organization -- from station employees to

corporate executives. This organization-wide support was

crucial in generating product awareness and enthusiasm, and

new accounts.

"Best Usage/Expansion Program in 2003"

Universal Entertainment MasterCard(R) Card from Chase

-- By incorporating the thrills and excitement of Universal

properties -- theme parks, movies, music, television, and

games -- the Universal Entertainment MasterCard Card from

Chase delivers a wide array of entertainment rewards that

attracts consumers of varying lifestyles and demographic

sectors. With the card, cardmembers earn one point per dollar

on all everyday purchases and two points per dollar on select

Universal Parks and Resorts purchases. Points can be redeemed

for movie and concert tickets, DVDs and CDs, even unique

Hollywood experiences. Chase's patent-pending instant card

issuance process onsite in Universal Studios Theme Parks and

strong activation programs help drive growth in cards and

spending. And the innovations keep on coming -- such as online

auctions of unique movie memorabilia, introduced January 2004,

that bring consumer excitement and loyalty to new heights.

"Long Term Achievement Award"

Citi(R) / AAdvantage(R) MasterCard(R) Card Program

-- Introduced in 1987, the Citi(R) / AAdvantage(R) Card program

was among the first co-branded airline programs and today is

one of the largest co-brand programs in the world. The card

offers a strong consumer value proposition with miles earned

anywhere the card is used and a network of more than 1500

participating companies where cardholders can earn rewards.

The Citi(R) / AAdvantage(R) Card has products available for

both consumers and small business owners with various levels

of rewards and benefits. Over the past 17 years the strength

of the partnership has fueled the success of the Citi(R) /

AAdvantage(R) Card program.

"MasterCard Co-Brand Partner of the Year Award winners exemplify excellence in delivering co-brand programs that speak directly to consumer lifestyles and interests, while making payments easy and personally rewarding," said Fred P. Gore, senior vice president, North America Acceptance, MasterCard International. "Today, co-brand cards account for nearly 60 percent of payments industry volume, with consumers choosing them twice as often as standard cards; the simplest motivation you will ever need to partner and shape co-brand value-propositions uniquely suited to your retail or payments niche."

The 2004 North America Co-Brand Partner of the Year Award winners were independently judged and selected by Jack Trout, a renowned author and marketing expert guru, John Grund, a partner, general manager of Retail Services and co-branding expert at First Annapolis, and Michael Capizzi, general manager and executive editor of Colloquy, a periodical serving the loyalty marketing industry since 1990.

"Whether an airline, specialty retailer, petroleum provider, an entertainment company, or charitable group, research shows that co-brand payment programs deepen consumer affinities and derive customer loyalty like few other marketing techniques," added Gore. "Co-brand credit, debit and prepaid solutions are a win-win for issuers, merchants, and consumers alike."

About The MasterCard Co-Brand Center of Excellence

Established in 2002, The MasterCard Co-Brand Center of Excellence serves as a global repository of co-brand knowledge. The Center identifies and forecasts industry trends, provides research and advises financial institution issuers and merchants on best practices in launching new or expanding existing co-brand programs. Co-brand MasterCard cards total close to 18,000 worldwide.