Barnes & Noble Pact Writes the Next Chapter in Amex's Prepaid Push

American Express' (AXP) approach to prepaid has hardly been by-the-book, but its latest step is to partner with Barnes & Noble (BKS) on a new reloadable card.

The New York card network said Wednesday that it is marketing a prepaid card in the retailer's more than 500 college book stores.

The Campus Edition Prepaid Card has no monthly fee, putting it in line with a card Amex launched last year with almost no fees. The new card costs $4.95 to purchase.

This week, JPMorgan Chase (JPM) launched a card with a $4.95 monthly fee. JPMorgan Chase's card benefits from the bank's widespread branches, which offer prepaid card customers free reloads. Amex can't claim the same branch network, but its retail partnerships help it close the gap.

Early last year, Amex began working with Target (TGT) to test another prepaid card, which has no monthly fee and a $3 fee for reloading funds at a Target store.

"American Express Campus Edition Prepaid Card is a great solution for college students looking for a way to budget and spend wisely," said Laura Kelly, Amex's senior vice president and general manager of the Americas for its global payment options group, in a press release.

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