American Express 2005 Annual Report Download - page 16

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Customization has been one of the keys to our success. Increasingly, we are focused on providing highly
targeted value propositions to specific customer groups to drive spending and loyalty. We followed this
strategy in a series of major product launches in the United States, as well as more than 60 new and enhanced
proprietary card offerings in international markets in 2005.
A few examples from the wide range of products we launched include:
■ One from American Express, which automatically contributes a percentage of cardmember purchases to
a high-yield savings account.
■ The co-branded JetBlue Card from American Express, which allows U.S. consumers to earn travel
rewards that can be redeemed for flights on JetBlue.
■ IN:Chicago and IN:LA, the latest in our line-up of “city-centric” cards that provide rewards tailored for
young, urban cardmembers in the United States.
■ Two new fee-free cards in the United States that let cardmembers save on any flight, hotel, car rental or
cruise charges: the Blue Sky Credit Card for consumers and the Platinum Business FreedomPass Credit
Card for small-business owners.
■ Blue from American Express with an ExpressPay chip, giving cardmembers the flexibility of contactless
payment at everyday-spending locations that now include major U.S. chains such as CVS/Pharmacy®,
McDonald’s®and 7-Eleven®.
■ The new Business Gold Rewards card in the U.S., a significantly enhanced version of the Gold Card that
offers additional rewards for small businesses.
■ The Knot Credit Card, for couples planning their weddings, and The Nest Credit Card, for newlyweds.
■ The Nectar Credit Card from American Express, in partnership with the United Kingdom's largest loyalty
program, Loyalty Management U.K.
■ The MINI American Express Card, a BMW-American Express co-brand in Germany.
■ The expansion of existing co-brand card portfolios — including the new SkyPoints™ Credit Card from
Delta and the Singapore Airlines PPS Club Platinum Credit Card.
■ New premium cards including Platinum in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong and Taiwan; and
Centurion in Singapore.
At the same time, we continued to enrich our industry-leading rewards programs for consumer, small
business and corporate customers in other ways. For example, we added a host of new partners to Member-
ship Rewards, giving cardmembers more choices for redeeming their points — including the booking of trips
arranged through our newly redesigned travel Web site. We also signed new partners in the hotel, express
delivery and restaurant industries for OPEN Savings, which gives small-business cardmembers access to
special negotiated rates for savings on a variety of travel and everyday costs.
AXP / AR.2005
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