January 5,2007
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Seeing Things Clearly
When American Express produced the first-ever transparent credit card, the "Blue from American Express," in 2001, the world's reaction was a collective "ooooh." There's nothing particularly special about a clear card, they just look awfully nifty, and are sure to elicit a reaction at the cash register. The "Blue" card was a slma-dunk for AmEx, however, which has notoriously underperformed against MasterCard and Visa in the American market. AmEx locked down the patent on clear cards, and was, for several years, the only one touting a clear card. New and shiny has a certain cache, and AmEx was content to be the newest plastic gizmo- up until now.
AmEx recently inked a deal with Versatile Card Technology (VCT) that will allow them to manufacture transparent credit cards for other card companies. By releasing the patented processes and components that go into producing the cards, AmEx not only banked on the deal, but showed a willingness to move on. Right now, AmEx issues clear cards for "Blue," "Blue Cash," and several other cards.