"Platinum" giving way to "Smart" ?

I remember a time when only American Express offered a "Gold Card" -- and they didn't offer Platinum at that time either. Soon, VISA and MasterCard copied AmEx and offered Gold VISA and Gold MasterCard for their most esteemed customers. Then, like grade inflation at Harvard, more and more people were offered "Gold" cards, eventually resulting in such high-brow permutations like the K-mart Gold MasterCard. ("Woo-hoo, Mavis, I jis qualified for mah GOLD K-mart credit card!") Lest anyone think I'm dissing the K-mart Gold MasterCard, I proudly carry one myself. But I digress.

It was American Express who first blazed the trail for "Platinum." When they first introduced their Platinum charge card, nobody else offered such a thing, and it was darned hard to get! Soon, issuers of VISA and MasterCard and Discover followed suit, offering their own Platinum cards. As years passed, more and more people qualified for "Platinum" from one company or another, and "Platinum" has effectively replaced "Gold" as the de facto prime standard. On the AmEx front, anybody who's an AmEx Green Card holder in good standing for a year or two now gets an invitation to pony up their $300 a year for the privilege of upgrading to their Platinum Card.

What next? Titanium? Plutonium? Both have been tried but didn't quite catch on. It may well be that metal alloys have been exhausted with respect to their ability to positively impact customer acquisition in big numbers.

Then, the trailblazer -- American Express -- stepped up to the plate with more innovation. No, the latest entry didn't involve metallurgy, directly anyway. "Blue from American Express" sported a "smart chip" and was dubbed a "smart card." Nevermind that nobody really knows what the hell the chip does or how to use it. Also, pay no attention to the fact that these so-called chips have no power source, making them suspiciously resemble fancy magnetic strips really. Regardless, during the age of the personal computer, "smart" credit cards with an integrated circuit built-in had unbeatable appeal. Then came the clones. Now Citibank is offering their "smart card."

Will Platinum go the way of Gold? Will we soon see Cross Country Bank Platinum Cards? And by the time Orchard gets around to offering a card with a chip, will American Express have to innovate with something even more bizarre? Perhaps "Edible Bits from American Express"? Or "Orgasm from American Express"? ("I'll have what she's having, thanks.")

These are the questions that this inquiring mind wants answered this fine Thanksgiving holiday.

Doc

 

Re: "Platinum" giving way to "Smart

I'm having what you're having, breeze.

Doc

 

Re: "Platinum" giving way to "Smart

I love it, Buckcherry! What will they offer next -- secured Platinum cards?

Doc

 

Re: "Platinum" giving way to "Smart

Do the governing boards of MasterCard and VISA designate any particular criteria for issuers of Platinum cards bearing their names?

Doc

 

Re: "Platinum" giving way to "Smart

Well that sounds like a great deal. I'm wondering if MasterCard gives you some additional benefits as well since the card is Platinum.

Doc