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Australian supermarket chain Woolworths next month plans to launch a credit card, the chain's first under its new Easy Money division, a spokesperson for the retailer tells CardLine Global. The general-purpose card, issued in collaboration with the Australian arm of United Kingdom-based bank HSBC, will carry the MasterCard brand and link to the loyalty scheme operated by Woolworths Ltd., the parent of the supermarket chain. Woolworth's plans to release more details about the card next week and start issuing the card on 1 Sept., the spokesperson says. The retailer accepts more than 114 million credit card transactions each year, Woolworths says in a statement. The card launch resembles one by Australia-based department store chain Myer, which recently worked with GE Money to issue a Visa-branded credit card, Frank Lopez, an analyst with Australia-based research firm Cannex Pty Ltd., tells CardLine Global. That card also links to a loyalty-reward scheme.
