Choice: It's something consumers like, and credit card issuers seem convinced it can work to their advantage. Increasingly, they're offering prospective customers an option of different scenes on the card, not just the same ol' thing in standard or gold.
First USA, for instance, is offering a new Visa card with scenes both cool and warm-an Alpine peak reflected in a blue lake, and a tropical strand with palm trees at sunset. "You may have trouble deciding which scenic photo is your favorite," the pitch letter reads.
Dean Witter, Discover & Co. is beckoning to select consumers with three different looks for its Private Issue card-all with a celebrity theme. The consumer must choose among colorful designs based on artwork by ex-Beatle Ringo Starr, actress Jane Seymour and Olympic sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner. Discover's mailing even includes a mini-brochure showing the three designs as paintings hung on a wall.
