Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Apr. 22 -- It's not just a Visa card. It's a marketing tool created to keep visitors coming back to the Grand Strand.
The recently released Myrtle Beach Privilege Visa Card -- created through a partnership between the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and Wilmington, Del.-based First USA Bank -- has features designed to market Myrtle Beach and encourage repeat visits.
Use of the Myrtle Beach Visa will earn the card holder 'Myrtle Money' certificates that work like frequent-flier points.
Every $1,000 charged will earn $5 worth of certificates that can be spent at 300 participating Grand Strand businesses, including: hotels, restaurants, amusements, tire services, car rental agencies, cellular telephone companies and copy centers.
Participating businesses offer 10 percent discounts to Myrtle Beach Visa holders.
Organizers hope 'Myrtle Money' certificates and 10 percent discounts -- available year-round -- will encourage card holders to make repeat trips and off-season visits.
The card, available in four styles, will be marketed by First USA and the Chamber of Commerce, officials said at a Wednesday news conference.
'We're going to use all our resources to show Myrtle Beach's value,' said Rob Pitroli, First USA Bank's assistant vice president for sports and entertainment marketing. He was accompanied by Marti Fischer, president of North Hollywood, Calif.-based Destination Marketing Inc., the marketing agent for the Myrtle Beach Visa.
Ashby Ward, president of the Chamber of Commerce, said millions of direct-mail pieces with Myrtle Beach Visa applications will be delivered to known Myrtle Beach visitors and targeted First USA prospects.
Meanwhile, Myrtle Beach Visa Card Welcome Centers will offer applications to guests at several locations, including Alabama Theatre, Broadway at the Beach and Myrtle Beach Grand Prix.
The card, which has no annual fee, offers a five-month introductory annual percentage rate of 3.9 percent. Afterward, the APR will become 9.9 percent. The credit line runs from $5,000 to $100,000.
Businesses are able to participate if they are members of the Chamber of Commerce and agree to offer a 10 percent discount to all card holders.
A new brochure listing participating businesses will be printed and delivered to card holders every six months, providing additional exposure to the Grand Strand and allowing businesses to opt in or out of the program.
First USA, a subsidiary of Bank One Corp., is considered one of the nation's largest issuers of Visa and Mastercard charge cards.
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