And speaking of Upromise.com … This morning, Mastercard announced the first four institutions that will be issuing Upromise debit cards: BancorpSouth, BankAtlantic, BECU (a Washington state credit union), and Provident Bank. When using one of these debit cards to purchase items from Upromise merchants, you’ll earn an additional 1 to 3% deposited directly into your Upromise account.
The way I read it, and please see today’s press release here, is that unlike the Visa Extras Rewards program for Visa debit cards, Upromise Debit Mastercard holders will not earn on EVERY purchase, just on purchases at Upromise-affiliated merchants. But to be fair, yes, Visa Extras debit card members receive points on every debit purchase that they sign for (not using their PIN number), but the one point per dollar they earn is only worth 0.25%.
Bottom line: every little bit helps, and 1 to 3% will add up over time, so if you are a diehard Upromise fan, the debit card will help you increase your earnings when you shop at their merchants online or off.
