MBNA and eBay Introduce New Credit Card That Awards "eBay Anything Points"
Credit Card Allows Site's Users To Accrue Points They Can Spend on eBay
San Jose, Calif. October 2, 2003 -- eBay, the world's online marketplace, and MBNA, the world's largest independent credit card issuer, today introduced a new credit card that allows eBay users to earn eBay Anything Points with every purchase. In time for the holiday shopping season, the credit card is available in the U.S. starting today, and can be used to pay for purchases everywhere that MasterCard® is accepted. For purchases charged on the eBay credit card, cardholders will earn eBay Anything Points, a special eBay currency worth $.01 for each point, which can be spent on virtually anything for sale on the eBay site. Sporting the colored eBay logo, the eBay Anything Points credit card offers no annual fee and an introductory 0% Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for balance transfers during the first 6 months. The new credit card is the latest expansion of the eBay Anything Points program, launched in May 2003. Participating companies, such as American Airlines, Netflix, and Hilton, give participating customers eBay Anything Points as rewards for purchases, incentives for new customer sign-ups, or in exchange for points accrued in their own loyalty programs. "This new credit card is a unique offer for eBay users, especially during the holiday shopping season, giving them extra purchasing power on eBay and a flexible way to reward themselves with an amazing selection of items to choose from on eBay," said Gary Dillabough, vice president of strategic partnerships for eBay. "MBNA has an outstanding banking reputation, so card members can be assured they're getting a recognized card from a reputable leader." "MBNA is extremely proud to be associated with eBay," said John R. Cochran, president and COO of MBNA America Bank, N.A. "The people of MBNA look forward to offering eBay's tens of millions of registered users with this superior financial product and customer service." Cardholders must be enrolled in the eBay Anything Points program to begin spending points earned from using this credit card. Once enrolled in the program, members' points are accumulated in their PayPal accounts. PayPal, an eBay company, is a global online payments service that enables individuals and businesses to send and receive payments using their email addresses. The points can be used to purchase items from any eBay seller accepting PayPal for payment. In addition, for eBay sellers, eBay Anything Points can be applied towards paying eBay fees for selling items on the site. Also, eBay sellers will be able to award points to their buyers on eBay, which gives users one more reason to start accruing eBay Anything Points. In addition to MBNA, Providian National Bank will also issue the new eBay credit card. "Providian's ability to issue credit cards to people across a broad credit spectrum will complement MBNA, allowing more eBay users to carry the eBay credit card and earn eBay Anything Points," said Joseph Saunders, chairman and CEO of Providian. Individuals can apply for the MBNA eBay Anything Points credit card online at: http://www.ebay.com. About MBNA Corporation MBNA Corporation, a bank holding company and parent of MBNA America, N.A., a national bank, is the largest independent credit card lender in the world. MBNA also provides retail deposit, consumer loan, and insurance products. About eBay eBay is the World's Online Marketplace®. Founded in 1995, eBay created a powerful platform for the sale of goods and services by a passionate community of individuals and businesses. On any given day, there are millions of items across thousands of categories for sale on eBay. eBay enables trade on a local, national and international basis with
across thousands of categories for sale on eBay. eBay enables trade on a local, national and international basis with customized sites in markets around the world About Providian San Francisco-based Providian Financial Corporation (NYSE: PVN; www.providian.com) is a leading provider of credit cards and deposit products to Middle American consumers throughout the United States.