Ebay Plans 2 Million Piece Mailing for Branded Credit Card

(Direct Newsline)—EBay and MBNA will drop a 2-million piece direct mail effort next month to promote a new eBay branded MasterCard.

The mailing will target eBay users, according to Jennifer Chu Caukin, a spokesperson for the online auction site.

A small opt-in e-mail effort going to select eBay users is also planned, as is promotion of the card on www.ebay.com, she said. No print promotion is slated at this time.

The card will allow users to earn eBay Anything Points worth $.01 per point. The points program was launched in May; participating companies can give points as rewards for purchases, incentives for new customer sign-ups, or in exchange for points accrued in their own loyalty programs.

Once enrolled in the program, members' points are accumulated in their PayPal accounts. The points can be used to purchase items from any eBay seller accepting PayPal for payment. EBay sellers can also use points towards paying eBay fees for selling items on the site, or award points to their buyers.

Providian National Bank is issuing the card in cooperation with MBNA.