Word: mastercard
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...credit card's maxed out, and I really wanted that Nintendo game." Such plaints may soon come from the mouths of adolescents. Denver's Young Americans Bank, which caters to youths, will start issuing a kids-only MasterCard this week to patrons who are at least twelve years old and can persuade an adult to co-sign. Cardholders will pay a membership fee of $15 and an 18.8% finance charge on unpaid balances, but the Kidcard's $100 credit limit seems to rule out wild shopping sprees. "This way, they build their own credit history," says bank vice president Cindy...
...MasterCard's computer started licking its chops when it saw Joey had used one of his checks to borrow...
...MasterCard's computer then saw the $10,000 payment, so MasterCard couldn't start charging him interest...
...MasterCard's computer awarded Joey 10,000 Pan Am frequent-flyer miles...
Cost to Joey: nothing. Cost to MasterCard: 10,000 frequent-flyer miles. (The bank that issues Joey's MasterCard pays Pan Am a penny or so for each mile awarded -- about $100 in this case.) Lessons for us: Resist those tempting blank checks your credit-card company sometimes sends (unless you're really looking for a way to borrow money at 19.8%). Switch to a credit card that offers frequent-flyer miles. (If you're charging things, you might as well get a free trip once in a while.) Don't mess with my pal Joey...