Cardholders in Phoenix Area to Benefit from Merchant Offers
Delivered via SMS Text
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 21, 2008--Visa (NYSE:V)
together with Chase (NYSE:JPM) today announces a consumer pilot that
delivers merchant offers directly to the mobile devices of Chase
credit and debit cardholders in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
The offers - from merchant discounts to specials - are tailored to
match the personal interests selected by Chase cardholders and will be
redeemable at the point of sale or the web site of more than 50
participating merchants.
Partnering with Chase in this trial, Visa is delivering merchant
offers to mobile devices via short message service (SMS), the same
technology that handles text messaging between individuals. The trial
takes advantage of the widespread adoption of "texting" as an everyday
activity by younger consumers aged 18 to 34, who are the primary group
selected for the program.
One of the key aspects of the pilot is its personalization. When
Chase cardholders sign up for the service, they will have the option
to set preferences on the program's Web site, choosing offers and
merchants that are most relevant and compelling for them. This
approach allows consumers the ability to see offers they are likely to
want and enables merchants to send offers only to those consumers most
likely to be interested.
"Chase is always looking for new, innovative ways to reward
cardholders and enhance the consumer payment experience," said Eileen
Serra, Chase Card Services executive. "The intersection of mobile
technology and consumer financial services is an area of focus for
Chase. We're using leading technology to deliver compelling offers
from top merchants directly to consumers' mobile devices, and at the
same time, helping to increase spending and create greater loyalty for
merchants participating in the trial."
Among the merchants in the pilot are Chico's FAS, Inc (brands Soma
Intimates and White House/Black Market), Circle K, Macy's, Marriott,
Old Navy, Papa John's Pizza and Robeks Juice. Thanks to the Chase
sponsorship of the Arizona Diamondbacks, baseball fans will receive
special game-day offers when attending Major League Baseball games at
Chase Field in Phoenix.
In this trial, select Chase Visa cardholders will be invited to
participate in the program by mail, email, Chase ATM and the Chase.com
website. Customers who aren't directly invited may still participate
in the program by responding to marketing at Chase Field. In keeping
with the mobile focus of the pilot, participants may enroll in the
program online or through the SMS technology itself.
Chase and Visa will review the program in the fourth quarter to
evaluate the impact of mobile offers on stakeholder interest,
cardholder engagement, and card usage.
Visa Mobile Platform
At the heart of the pilot is Visa's Mobile Platform, a suite of
technologies that enables Visa, its clients, and mobile operators to
engage in trial activities and develop commercially scalable mobile
services. Built on years of experience in mobile payments, Visa's
platform complements the infrastructure of financial institutions, and
is supported by contributions from chip suppliers, mobile applications
developers, over-the-air (OTA) service providers and mobile messaging
providers.
"Visa innovations enable more people in more places to enjoy the
advantages of electronic payments," said Pam Zuercher, Head of Global
Product Innovation at Visa Inc. "The Visa Mobile Platform helps us
deliver on that promise and enables our clients to expand their
products to new channels."
About Chase: JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global
financial services firm with assets of $1.8 trillion and operations in
more than 60 countries. The company has more than 157 million credit
cards issued. The firm is a leader in investment banking, financial
services for consumers, small business and commercial banking,
financial transaction processing, asset management, and private
equity. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan
Chase serves millions of consumers and businesses in the United States
and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and
government clients under its JPMorgan and Chase brands. Information
about the firm is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.
About Visa Inc.: Visa Inc. operates the world's largest retail
electronic payments network providing processing services and payment
product platforms. This includes consumer credit, debit, prepaid and
commercial payments, which are offered under the Visa, Visa Electron,
Interlink and PLUS brands. Visa enjoys unsurpassed acceptance around
the world, and Visa/PLUS is one of the world's largest global ATM
networks, offering cash access in local currency in more than 170
countries. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com
CONTACT: Visa Inc.
Sandra Chu, +1 415 932 2564
globalmedia@visa.com
or
Chase
Tanya M. Madison, +1 302-282-5547
tanya.m.madison@chase.com
SOURCE: Visa Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co.