American Express 2007 Annual Report Download - page 21

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and Indonesia to GNS partners). Consumer Travel sales increased 26 percent in the United States and
21 percent in international markets.
Across markets, we focused on developing products and programs that offer exceptional value to consumer
and small-business cardmembers, and giving them more reasons to turn to American Express first.
• Benefits and Rewards—In 2007, we continued to enhance our industry-leading rewards programs
and the premium benefits that help drive cardmember spending. For example, we upgraded services
for Platinum Cardmembers; conferred “insider” status on cardmembers with invitations to experience
exclusive events; rolled out the next generation of Membership Rewards with three new, increasingly
valuable program tiers; and advanced our online capabilities to further streamline the process of
redeeming points for travel rewards.
• Online Cardmember Communities—To tap into the collective knowledge and passions of our card-
members, we invited them to share their experiences, opinions and advice with each other in online
communities. Thousands of cardmembers who engaged in the Members Project proposed ideas for
improving the world, and they had a say in how we directed $2 million of philanthropic support. (The
winning proposal: a UNICEF-led project to provide safe drinking water for children.) Other online
communities we created in 2007 include OPEN Forum, where small-business owners share expertise
and find resources to help grow their enterprises, as well as dining and travel networks geared toward
two of the favorite pastimes of our cardmembers.
LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS
19
EXCLUSIVE OFFERS FOR DREAM VACATIONS
Luxury and savings are not mutually exclusive. With Going Once, cardmembers can choose exclusive travel
packages to some of the most sought-after vacation destinations at prices that are right for them.
• Innovative, Exclusive Cards—OPEN introduced an industry first with the Plum Card, which
helps small-business owners manage cash flow by giving them options to defer payment or receive
discounts for early payment. New premium cobrands in Europe—such as Harrods in the United
Kingdom and BMW in Austria and Germany—enhanced our portfolio of affinity products linked
to the luxury segment. To help accelerate our momentum in the fast- growing prepaid sector, we
developed a line of Gift Cards that large companies and small businesses can customize, and we also
expanded partnerships to broaden distribution of our products.
• Consumer Travel Experiences—We continued to enhance the American Express Travel Web site, a
key driver of travel sales, by adding new offers and resources designed to draw more repeat visitors. For
Gold Cardmembers, we introduced Gold Card Destinations, a special package of amenities and travel
experiences. In addition, we expanded our representative network of travel offices in 11 U.S. cities.