OPEN from American Express to Issue Small Business Charge and Credit Cards
in Harris' More than 230 Branches
NEW YORK and CHICAGO, Aug. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- OPEN from American
Express(R) and Harris announced today that they will offer American
Express(R) Business Cards to Harris' small business customers, marking
OPEN's first agent bank marketing agreement in the Chicago area. The
exclusive agreement calls for the companies to jointly market small
business charge and credit cards that carry the Harris and American Express
brands. Beginning in late September, OPEN will offer a suite of co-branded
Cards through Harris' more than 230 branches in Chicago and Indiana.
"Harris is a respected and well-known financial institution with an
impressive customer base and we are pleased to serve as their new,
exclusive small business credit card issuer," said Raymond Joabar, Senior
Vice President, OPEN from American Express. "This new relationship brings
together the strength of OPEN and Harris to link small business owners with
the financial tools and resources they need to help them grow their
businesses."
"We are delighted to join with American Express to add the
industry-leading small business credit card solution to our robust customer
offering of products and services," said Peter McNitt, Vice Chairman and
Head of Business Banking, Harris. "In addition to the benefits a business
credit card offers in terms of simplifying accounting, I know our customers
will appreciate the purchasing power, payment flexibility, cash rebates,
travel rewards and savings program that only OPEN offers."
Through Harris, small business owners are eligible to apply for the
SimplyCash(SM) Business Card (1), which automatically offers up to 5% cash
back annually on gas, office supplies, and wireless purchases and 1% on
virtually all other purchases. In addition, they can apply for the Business
Gold Rewards Card and Business Platinum Card(R), which offer Cardmembers
automatic enrollment in the Membership Rewards(R) program (2) from American
Express to earn valuable rewards points toward travel, dining,
entertainment and retail purchases. All three Cards include access to the
OPEN Savings(R) program (3), which gives Cardmembers automatic savings when
using their Card for purchases with partners such as FedExKinkos(R),
Hertz(R), Hyatt Hotels & Resorts(R), Delta Airlines(R), JetBlue Airways(R)
and more.
Under the agreement, OPEN from American Express will issue the new
Cards and service the accounts. Harris and OPEN will market the Cards to
small business owners through the bank's branch network, on-line, direct
mail, and inbound telemarketing channels.
OPEN is a leading issuer of small business credit and charge card
products in the United States. With $42 billion in assets and $29 billion
in deposits, Harris is the second-largest bank based on branches in the
Chicago market. Additionally, Harris has affiliated wealth management
offices in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Virginia and Washington,
and will also offer the cards in those locations.
About OPEN from American Express
OPEN is the American Express team dedicated exclusively to the success
of small business owners and their companies. The OPEN Team supports
business owners with unparalleled service. With tailored products and
services, the team delivers purchasing power, flexibility, control and
rewards to help customers run their business. Specifically, business owner
customers can leverage an enhanced set of products, tools, services and
savings, including charge and credit cards, convenient access to working
capital, robust online account management capabilities and savings on
business services from an expanded lineup of partners. To obtain more
information about OPEN, visit http://www.OPEN.com, or call 1-800-NOW-OPEN to apply
for a Card or loan. Terms and conditions apply.
American Express Company (http://www.americanexpress.com) is a leading global
payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.
About Harris
Harris is an integrated financial service organization providing more
than 1 million personal, business and corporate clients with banking,
lending, investing and wealth management solutions. The organization is a
member of the BMO Financial Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO), which also provides
corporate and investment banking services in the U.S. under the BMO Capital
Markets name.
1. Cash Rebate: Your Rebate is awarded monthly on the amount of your
purchases (net of credits for purchases) made during the previous billing
period, based on the following structure: You will receive a Rebate of 5%
for purchases of wireless telephone services, automobile gasoline, and
office supplies and equipment, in each case not purchased at warehouse
clubs, superstores or supermarkets ("5% Purchase(s)"). You will receive a
Rebate of 1% for all other purchases. Important: You will receive a 5%
Rebate only if the merchant submits the Charge for your 5% Purchase under
the appropriate merchant code, industry code and required service or
product identifier established by us with/for the merchant. For example, if
a general merchandise retailer sells office supplies, and the retailer
processes your Card transaction as a general merchandise charge instead of
an office supply charge, you will receive a Rebate of 1%, not a Rebate of
5%. You will not receive a Rebate for balances transferred from other
accounts, purchases of American Express Travelers Cheques or American
Express Gift Cheques, fees, Finance Charges, Cash Advances and similar
means of accessing your Card Account. Additional terms and conditions
apply.
2. Some Cards require enrollment and the payment of an annual program
fee. Terms and conditions apply.
3. OPEN Savings(R): Payment must be made with an American Express(R)
Business Card at the time of purchase. Savings will be credited to your
American Express Business Card billing statement. All savings referenced
are in addition to any offers made by participating companies.
Participation and offers are subject to change without notice. Terms and
conditions apply. For more information, please visit opensavings.com.
Harris(R) is a trade name used by various financial service
subsidiaries of Harris Financial Corp. Banking products and services are
provided by Harris N.A., The Harris Bank, N.A. and their bank affiliates.
Members FDIC.
|
