rocketpocket: Redemption credit card puts points toward purchases, is destined to frustrate

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Redemption credit card puts points toward purchases, is destined to frustrate

Look up. That credit card right there is a brilliant concept that'll likely cause quite a few headaches in practice. Dynamics, which makes its ends by coming up with new ways to get the general populace into more debt, has just made public its Redemption payment device -- a newfangled card with a few LEDs, selectors and the ability to let users put their earned points toward any given purchase. The idea goes a little something like this: you roll up to the Old Navy checkout counter, remember that you have 4,300 points logged, and decide that you'd like to cash 'em in towards the purchase of your new threads. You tap the "Request Rewards" side of your card, swipe it and watch as your points balance and total monies owed dwindles. Currently, Citi is trialing these with a small group of consumers, with a larger US trial expected to get going next month. There's no mention of how the LEDs stay lit (or how the battery stays charged), nor any indication of how long these selector buttons will hold up over time. We also have no idea how you'll be able to easily check your point balance or split payments between points and dollars, but hey, at least there's a beautiful opportunity here for an accompanying mobile app.

Gallery: Dynamics Redemption credit card