MasterCard Launches New Experiential Programs for Premium Cardholders

If our lives represent the sum of our experiences, then MasterCard is about to make life a lot more interesting.

For some, it might be chartering a private jet to remote areas of the world. For others, it's having a professional chef come to your home to teach a gourmet cooking class for you and your friends. Others still dream of playing a round of golf at one of the world's top courses while enjoying VIP access to PGA events.

MasterCard Worldwide announced today that it's setting out to make these and many other dreams come true. The company introduced MasterCard Unique Experiences, a new program designed to offer a unique set of benefits to its U.S. World MasterCard(R) and World Elite(TM) MasterCard(R) cardholders.

The program, which is exclusive to World and World Elite MasterCard cardholders in the U.S., provides access to fine dining, plush spas, high-end shopping, live performing arts events, golfing, and other unique experiences. MasterCard is committed to developing innovative products andprograms that appeal to the affluent segment, and empower them to live life to the fullest.

MasterCard's Global Premium Collection has also been updated for 2007 to include a greater breadth of offers across a variety of merchant categories. The Collection provides a wide-ranging assortment of special cardholder offers that deliver memorable experiences. More than 100 offerings and experiences are now available for premium cardholders worldwide.

"MasterCard has deep insight into the mindset of today's affluent segment, and is leveraging that insight to deliver cardholder benefits that will be embraced by the marketplace," said Jeff Portelli, Group Executive, Global Consumer Credit Products, MasterCard Worldwide.

"MasterCard Unique Experiences and our Global Premium Collection provide our partners with a tremendous array of experiences and offers. We are delivering highly attractive product and service offerings that will help both issuers and merchant partners drive incremental spending while taking MasterCard to a top-of-wallet position within the affluent segment." According to the latest data available from the U.S. Census Bureau, there are over 19 million households with an annual income of more than $100,000, in the U.S. alone.