Saturday, April 26, 2008

How much easier could it be?

Chase agreed to send me a new card with a lower APR and rewards--no annual fee--when I called to negotiate rates. It finally came in the mail this week. I noticed that it did not come with a "welcome package" as promised, so I'm not quite sure what my rewards actually are. I imagine this will ship separately for security?

The card has been sitting on my desk with my other cards (active, expired, closed, you name it; they're on my desk to "do something with"). The piece of paper that it's attached to has, "Go to www.chaseblink.com to learn more about your new Chase credit card with blink." So I did.

Blink is apparently a small chip that can be used to purchase items without even swiping your card. You move it close enough to the sensor and it takes the information.

Yay for companies finding solutions that make products better. Yay for solutions that save time. Yay for free features and benefits.

But seriously... how much time does waving a credit card around save over quickly sliding it in a slot less than an inch from where you wave it? How lazy would you really need to be?

If it had a key chain  thing that I could use like some gas stations have, then okay. I can see that. I don't even have to get it out of my wallet. (On the other hand, how easy would that be to take? I'd worry that someone would swipe it--no pun intended--every time I set down my keys.

Furthermore I have issues with the demonstration on the website; they show Blink being used to pay for a slurpee. A slurpee? I understand using cards for cash rewards and miles, and sure I'd use it then, but the vast part of Americans aren't that savvy. If you don't have $1.27 in your checking account for a slurpee then it's definitely not something you should be charging. (Judge, judge, judge. There I go again.)


No comments:

Post a Comment