American Express has split its rewards program up into three tiers and added more octane to its “Membership Rewards” program. AmEx also introduced an innovative service that enables cardholders to advance points against future points earned at the time they redeem.

Under the revised program, cardholders with AmEx credit cards, including “Blue,” will be moved to the “Membership Rewards Express” program. AmEx “Green” and “Gold” charge cardholders will have the “Membership Rewards” program. “Platinum” and “Centurion” cardholders will be enrolled in the “Membership Rewards First” program. Among new features: “Express” participants will have access to the new “Express Rewards Hotel Card” that allows cardholders to redeem points for a prepaid card to be used Marriott and Radisson; “Membership Rewards” will have access to AmEx’s new “Flight Finder and Room Finder”; and “First” participants receive concierge service and access to an assortment of luxury partners through “First Collection.”

The “Points Advance” service enables cardholders to receive an advance based on their program level — 5,000 points for “Membership Rewards Express,” 15,000 points for “Membership Rewards,” and 60,000 points for “Membership Rewards First.”

For more information visit: http://www.membershiprewards.com/tier/tierComparison/tierComparison.aspx.

The world’s largest retailer is introducing a new debit card to serve the needs of one of its core customers, the “unbanked.” The new “Wal-Mart MoneyCard VISA” will be rolled-out to 1,300 Wal-Mart stores by the end of this month and to another 1,300 stores by the end of July.

The card is part of Wal-Mart’s push into financial services. The retailer hopes to open 1,000 “MoneyCenters” in a quarter of its stores by the end of 2008. The “MoneyCenters” will offer low-cost check cashing, money orders, bill payment and money transfers. Wal-Mart currently conducts more than two million money services transactions each week. With 225 currently, Wal-Mart “MoneyCenters” will double to 450 by the end of this year and then more than double again to 1,000 by the end of 2008.

The new VISA debit card will sell for about $9 and has loading fees and monthly maintenance fees. However, Wal-Mart says it is competitively priced. The new debit card is being launched nationally with the help of GE Money and the Green Dot Network.

For more information visit: http://www.walmart.com.

If you’ve got a business, even if it’s just a small home-based side business, here’s a juicy offer for the American Express Business Gold Rewards card:

New cardmembers get 25,000 Membership Rewards points after the first purchase. These can be converted to 25,000 frequent flier miles at certain airlines, which can be converted to a roundtrip ticket. According to the terms above, you have to pay $10 to convert that over. Alternatively, you can convert to about $250 worth of gift cards at stores like Home Depot, Crate and Barrel, Banana Republic, Barnes and Noble, and so on. The annual fee is also waived for the first year, after that it is $125.

*Originally posted by MyMoneyBlog.

The “eBay MasterCard” is coming this month and it is packed with rewards and perks. The new card will offer one reward point for every $1 spent in purchases. Cardholders will also be able to choose from three card designs, and the option to add their eBay “User ID” to the card.

The card also features “Safe Shipping,” which protects them if their item never arrives. Plus, the “eBay MasterCard” will offer instant approval. Additionally, customers can view their account activity within their existing PayPal account.

The new card is an expansion of a relationship originally created in June 2004 for GE Money to offer PayPal Buyer Credit, a private label revolving credit line available to registered PayPal customers. A “PayPal Plus MasterCard” was introduced in May 2006.

For more information visit: http://www.ebay.com.

A new survey has been conducted that found that 56% of consumers prefer cash back on their credit cards, while 23% said they favored air miles. About 12% preferred points and only 9% selected automatic rebates or discounts as their favorite rewards.

The results from CardTrak.com are based on an online poll of 1,000 consumers completed last week.

Nearly all general purpose credit cards offer some type of reward either at the network level or the issuer level.

According to CardData the number of reward credit cards in the U.S. has grown from 290 million in 2002 to 490 million in 2006.

For more information visit:www.carddata.com

All the major credit card brands are aiming for the top of the heap with super reward cards for the super wealthy. However, a new study has found that the American Express’ $2500 per year “Centurion” card reigns as the most prestigious credit card among the super affluent.

New York-based Luxury Institute says MasterCard’s “World Elite” ranked third while VISA’s “Signature” came in sixth. The study found that younger consumers are more likely to choose “American Express Centurion” or “MasterCard World Elite,” while older consumers are more likely to choose “VISA Signature.”

The “2007 Luxury Brand Status Index” ranks consumers with a minimum net worth of $5 million and $200,000 in annual income. The national sample of over 500 ultra-wealthy American consumers, with an average income of $775K, and average net worth of $14.4 million, was surveyed online.

Starting July 2nd customers that sign-up for a new Shell Credit Card can earn 25 cents per gallon on the purchase of their first 100 gallons of Shell gasoline.

Once cardholders have purchased 100 gallons, they will receive a $25 Shell gift card by mail. New account holders must use their “Shell Credit Card” to purchase the fuel and will have 90 days from the account open date to reach the 100-gallon mark.

Customers must sign up by September 30th to qualify. There are approximately 7,700 Shell-branded stations in the Eastern and Southern United States.

For more information visit: http://www.shellcreditcard.com.