70 years of service
July 26th, 2010 -- Posted in Credit Card | No Comments »Credit – and credit card association – a cornerstone of American life has become. Every American household estimates that maps between them at least 10 credits, not counting cards or out of the house and takes an average of $ 13,000 of credit card debt. This is not a new phenomenon.
It was inevitable that the Americans invented the credit card. The Americans have always been uncomfortable with credit. Europeans began to colonize America in 1600 came from countries which had put aside old prejudices on bonds and loans, and a new attitude toward credit were transplanted on American soil.
The Americans have always needed credit loans to buy land for a business, then west in search of valuable furs or the search for precious metals. Other loans to reach the United States in the first place – was recruited as a servant in the colonies – or get themselves into debt and have been released by a royal decree to the British General James Oglethorpe in the founding of the colony to join Georgia.
In 1800, the United States an independent country with a debt had become a way of life for many of its citizens. Pawnbrokers in New York has given loans of 149,000 pieces of assets in 1828 – compared with a population of only about 200,000. In rural areas, people buy horses, wagons, plows, seeds, watches and home furnishings on credit. Many have agreed to pay in full at the time of harvest, while others are based on credit open book.
open book credit was used to cover the financial needs of life such as food and clothing. The broker has enabled clients to the house of the products they need and pay what they could afford to award, for part but not all of your balance each month – that many owners of credit cards TODAY ‘hui. But very few are borrowed from drowning. The credit card balances, credit and open book be classified as a revolving credit line.
The early 19th Century merchants also offered a way of not revolving credit, term. These plans have many things have been limited to customers who are expensive items like a piano or a rug purchased. On the turn of the century, hire purchase are no longer just the rich and working class families were “discretionary” Buy to goods in installments. It was so that the lease was assigned to the needy. A refinement of the payment plans were in the early 20th Century with the introduction of the card shop or department of the private label credit card.
The credit card was offered, as initially been tranche buyers of luxury goods. Some shops Market House of Cards to their customers value, of course, made him happy. The map of the house was easy: no need for large amounts of cash or, subject to bear the boredom of identification when paying by check. The customer simply present the card at home registered for an employee for the sale and receive a bill once a month, thirty days of euro purchases. The customer pays the bill in full each month. The transaction is made for the service charge, but also increases customer loyalty. The fee on the card, it was easy for the bank to sell long, but the biggest advantage is that the increase in credit card sales per customer.
Credit history has been a great change with a new development: The growth of car sales.
The cars were necessary, but expensive to purchase a single purchase. Everyone needs this car, and everyone was forced to buy cars on credit. Car buying respectability to buy on credit.
The other meaning of the car on credit, is that the people allowed to travel long distances quickly, where they were completely unknown. What if the car is broken? This was the first joint car. Drivers could be kept at home, have expensive repairs and without enough money to pay them.
To resolve this problem, the oil companies arrived with their own type of credit card. This credit card can be used to buy oil, gas and mechanical services. Unlike credit cards, department store or at home, the oil company credit card could be used anywhere in the country.
Sun the 1920s, the essential elements of the modern credit card in hand:
or the oil companies have the payment card can be shown to be deployed around the country
or purchase of cars needs expressed at the time of purchase was respectable
American or felt comfortable with the credit for centuries.
It took thirty years invented until the credit card that we’ve been. Three men have finally achieved this during lunch at a restaurant in New York in 1949.
They were convinced there was money involved in consumer credit, and tried to find a way to use. The fee for the card or a house of cards has increased sales and customer loyalty, but without interest, costs of the records themselves do not generate revenue. Installment sales was interesting, but there was cover to cover the cost of the seller, not for income.
Suppose the three points, the third between the buyers and sellers has been inserted. Assuming that the party had many customers, vendors had promised otherwise. Let us assume that the same party that offers the rich people with good credit a variety of institutions (and not just a department store or a chain of gas stations) that could pay what they bought, no questions questions. Is it not the rich spend more banks had? Non-entrepreneurs and their growing sales and profits rise, be prepared to return a small percentage of the third, helping the new customers? Not only small percentages add up to a small fortune?
Prospective owners of the restaurant, wondering how his credit card number that large continued his journey is worth it. The shop owner said: “The seven percent.” And, Diners Club is in business.
The principles of the Diners Club credit card seemed miniature books. The name of the owner has been on the front of the prospectus for a credit card, in the interior, to accept the names of the institutions that agreed payments by credit card. The owner paid no interest or annual fees, but paid their credit card bill monthly.
In 1951, Diners Club International, the profits associated, shows her first credit card. Four years later, the family’s credit card, credit card plastic replaces the original document. In 1950, Diners Club charges an annual fee of $ 3 and a selection of 300 companies have a credit card more than 35,000. In the mid-1960s, restaurants, hotels, airlines, retail stores and how they like Diners Club accepted. The Dream of the founder of a universal credit card is used for various purposes around the world, were used.
Diners Club has its imitators. In 1958, American Express issued its own credit card and submitted to Carte Blanche Hilton. The three were like the credit card and travel-entertainment, to distinguish them from other credit cards, bank card known.
Seeing the success of Diners Club, joined banks in the market for credit cards in 1950 and 1955, during a hundred U.S. banks provides customers with a credit card. You have to earn money by and by, but they had the distribution of the national credit card, since the law Interstate Bank. In 1958 was the largest operation of the credit of the United States to the Bank of America, but its BankAmericard could only be used in California.
To prolong the usefulness of credit cards geographical freshly hatched, the Bank of America’s Pioneer national scholarship offer allows all banks throughout the country BankAmericard. The Association of visas processed later.
This has solved the problem of the distribution of credit cards. In addition, large banks called in the East to a national network of credit card rivals Interbank Card Association, the Masters has become free, and later Master Card form. Despite the initial resistance to the stores, card issuers and other home carries and two credit card associations may be signed in the 1980s. The credit card industry has reached maturity.
Today is a rare company that does not display the logos of Visa and MasterCard and other credit card companies.
