黑卡的诱惑

前天打开自家的邮箱，一个黑色的信封吸引了俺的眼球。哈，巴克利银行寄来的信用卡邀请--传说中的黑卡！

哈哈，这种级别的东西怎么会寄到我们这种典型的中产家庭呢？上网查了一下，就知道了这场几十年一遇的经济危机终于让这些大银行低下了头，把这种本来只给年消费能力25万以上的家庭的信用卡推广到中产阶级里的高收入家庭（俺连这个也不合格呢，大概俺信用记录不错，才进了巴克利的“黑名单”。巴克利是第一家把黑卡平民化的银行。）看下面的评论：

First it（black Visa card) was American Express’ Centurion, a rare and mysterious card that the super-wealthy considered to be the ultimate status symbol. Its ridiculous perks—a credit limit high enough to buy a small island, and a reputation strong enough to get holders into the most elite of establishments–are outweighed by equally ridiculous requirements, namely, invite-only applications to people who spend more than $250,000 annually on their other American Express cards, and an annual fee of $2,500.

Now Barclays Bank has caught on. The VISA Black card, a carbon graphite edifice of spending power, was recently released to butt gold-plated heads with the Centurion. The annual fee is a piddling $495, meaning that the card may attract more lowbrow aspects of the 1% of the US population that is its market.

Barclays is moving away from the water-from-turnips paradigm that other issuers have been using to stay afloat during the crunch. As in, give average Joes, with average credit limits, a lower limit in order to lessen risk. Raise late fees and rates. Hope that this combination of factors lessens risk and increases profit
potential.

Targeting the uber-rich, as Barclays is doing, is a much smarter move. These lucky few hold as much money as millions of average Joes. They value status and ease over fees. By issuing a card that makes the very wealthy feel secure and elite enough to use on a regular basis, Barclays exposes itself to big profits from higher merchant
fees as a percentage of purchase. That sure beats reducing risk and crossing your fingers—the average Joe strategy.

Good move, Barclays. More banks should be thinking like you.

太太下班了，俺问太太有没有兴趣申请一张。太太问，年费是多少。俺告诉她，主卡的年费是495， 加一张副卡是另外加195。太太撇撇嘴--还不如拿这钱吃几顿实惠呢。

哈哈，要拿班长的黑卡，除了思维，还得有经济实力。

（12/3/2009）