With the right PARTNERS, the sky's the limit

AFFINITY PARTNERS is a national sales and marketing company that directs the complicated tasks required in creating innovative credit card programs. We specialize in building successful alliances between credit card issuers, traditional non-profit membership groups (affinity cards) and consumer marketing companies (co-branded cards).

Success by Association

The following are industry examples of successful relationships between consumer-based companies, membership organizations and credit card issuers.

Membership Groups

Over 4,000 non-profit membership associations, including major colleges and universities, professional groups, fraternal organizations, special interest groups, hobby and sports enthusiasts, and labor unions, launched Affinity Card Programs during the 1980's.

Take Off with Affinity Partners

AFFINITY PARTNERS knows the credit card industry, and is expert in developing Affinity and Co-branded Card Programs. We work only with "value-oriented" card issuers. The financial institutions we represent have well-established national marketing capabilities which provide potential partner organizations with strong consumer pricing, aggressive and well-funded marketing, and state of the art technology in large volume application processing, superior customer service, and database management.

AFFINITY PARTNERS' senior management has played a leading role in the Affinity and Co-branded Card sales efforts of over a dozen major credit card issuing banks from 1982 to the present. As specialists in the use of Affinity and Co-branded Marketing, we have been at the forefront of this marketplace since its inception over thirty-five years ago. 

Navigate a Perfect Landing

Our team has participated in the critical steps involved in the creation of Partnership Card Marketing. We have been involved with a myriad of industry participants such as: airlines, lodging establishments, publishing companies, television broadcasters, insurance and investment management con1panies, and over 1,500 of the premier non-profit organizations in the United States and Canada who have endorsed Affinity Card Programs. Each of the Partnership Card Programs we've developed has involved unique marketing goals and communication strategies. We carefully tailor each new program to fit the specific needs of each organization, intent on forming mutually rewarding partnerships.

Today, while continuing our successful work within the traditional markets for Affinity Card Programs, AFFINITY PARTNERS is increasingly introducing new retail and service industries to the emerging era of Co-branded Marketing. With the emergence of a more competitive business environment, Co-branded Credit Cards energize and sharpen the focus of existing customer loyalty programs. AFFINITY PARTNERS offers experience and expertise in creating alliances that facilitate successful Co-branded Card Programs.

Achieving Goals Together

Finding the Right Partners

AFFINITY PARTNERS is able to forge innovative new partnerships that are mutually rewarding for both the Affinity and Co-branded participant and the credit card issuer. We achieve this by:

• identifying industries and specific companies for which a card-based loyalty program appears to offer major long-term marketing value
• establishing contacts with potential co-branders and helping potential partners sort out the opportunities and evaluate the "added value" a card program will provide for them
• explaining the advantages of dealing with an experienced affinity and co-branded card issuer with which AFFINITY PARTNERS has an established, on-going card marketing relationship

Lending Our Unique Expertise

AFFINITY PARTNERS  plays an  integral  role  in  providing applicable  industry-related information to potential partners from which critical decisions can be formulated. These services include:

• explaining the mechanics of the credit card business on both the card issuing and merchant processing side
• introducing the specific economics of the credit card industry with key variables in the profitability of a card program
• providing case studies of the industry including pricing, marketing strategies, enhancements, and operating strengths and weaknesses of existing card issuers and their programs
• sharing our resources of key credit card industry information, including statistics about card usage, overall industry growth, and the market share of the major issuers and card brands
• providing introductions to the two bankcard associations with comparisons to non-bank, general purpose, and T&E issuers, explaining the ways these industry groups can help launch and support new partnership programs
• guiding potential marketing partners through the strategic alternatives of various marketing approaches, and assisting in the selection of the appropriate strategy for each

Designing Effective Programs

Careful analysis of each individual marketing situation is critical to planning a successful card program. We proceed by:

• evaluating specific competition in the relevant marketplace
• positioning the card program to appeal to an organization's target audiences
• determining the individual needs of target groups by understanding consumer motivations
• finding additional program partners and working together to develop awards and enhancements that match the desires of the target audiences
• assist in finalizing the card pricing/ revenue matrix and identifying the proper cost-effective combination that best supports the partners' goals
• consulting on direct marketing plans that will best launch and propel the proposed partnership card program