| New Credit Card Offers |
| By Credit Federal |
Published
09/28/2007
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Credit Card
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Earth-Friendly Credit Card Rewards
In the continual battle to attract and retain customers, credit card issuers now offer environmentally friendly credit cards.
GE, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Brighter Planet either have these credit cards already on the market or plan to launch them.
Wild life and Sea life.
Each is trying to appeal to every type of eco-friendly cardholder. If your goal is to help save whales, combat CO2 emissions or to aid some other earthly cause, these new cards can give you a warm feeling with every swipe.
With these affinity cards, the card issuers donate a portion of purchases; generally 1% through a rewards program, to an environmental cause. Sometimes the cardholder can select the specific cause, but typically the contributions are placed into a general fund from which donations are made to a variety of causes chosen by the affiliate company. To find out which organization your card issuer helps sponsor, call and ask them directly.
Ask for exact name and cause they contribute to that are environmentally friendly. Some issuers have their catalogs online for cardholder access.
Eco cards may not be the best choice for rewards conscience consumers. There are definitely other credit card offers with bigger perks and rewards. In fact, expect to pay a 1% higher interest rate with eco cards.
The Chase World Wildlife card donates proceeds to the World Wildlife Fund to help save endangered species and protect endangered habitats.
The GE Money Earth Rewards card contributes up to 1% of card purchases to buy greenhouse gas emissions offsets.
Bank of America will introduce several green rewards programs within a few months, including the Eco-Friendly Credit Card. For every dollar spent, Bank of America will make a contribution to an environmental organization to invest in greenhouse gas reduction projects.
Bank of America's WorldPoints Rewards for the Environment will allow existing cardholders to donate their WorldPoints reward points to organizations that invest in greenhouse gas reductions or redeem their points for environmentally friendly products.
A Wells Fargo program will allow cardholders to support renewable-energy projects. Cardholders can use reward points, ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 points to buy renewable energy certificates which support renewable electricity generation, like wind power.
Citi's popular "ThankYou" points rewards program allows cardholders to redeem points for a range of environmentally responsible rewards. Cardholders will also be able to donate points to any organization of their choosing through the "Your Wish Fulfilled" rewards program.
What to consider when choosing your earth-friendly credit card:
- What cause does the card support
- How is the environmental cause supported
- Are the terms and interest rate a good deal
- Compare all the offers before signing up for a card
- Would it be better to contribute to the organization by writing a check
- Cash back vs. rewards points - A cash-back credit card may be a smart alternative to the rewards/points system
Do green credit cards actually help make a difference? - Many would say "YES!" The World Wildlife Fund has raised more than $10 million during the last 12 years through its relationship with Chase (formerly Bank One and First USA).
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