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高贵头，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）