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In the U.S.”, choosing the graphics for one’s credit card is about as boring as choosing the graphics for our checks or post office stamps. There really aren’t that many options to choose from, and perhaps because of that we don’t always care just as long as the card as a low APR rate. However in China, credit card culture, which is still a relatively new concept, has been redefined by banks going for a younger target market by providing cool, personalized options that have made choosing one’s credit card an important status symbol -even fashion accessory.
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Unlike in the past”, applying and getting a credit card in China is not difficult today. China now has several kinds of credit cards competing with each other for more applicants. Most of their card benefits are similar to each other such as 50 days of interest-free payment term, dual-currency, and the ability to pay by credit and loaning. However the distinctive factor among credit card companies is the designs and even sizes of the cards being offered.

China Merchants Bank for example, has up until present the most varieties of credit cards catering to different preferences for their customers such as the MSN mini card collection, Hello Kitty credit card, Pepsi credit card NBA credit card, and the Rayli Scented credit card. These cards bear a common characteristic that is, they have personality and style, which allow the applicants to choose and select the type of card which suits their taste and lifestyle.

As we reported last year in the China Youth Culture Study, one of the deterrents people had for using credit cards was because they “Don’t’ Trust It” -which was also a reflection that many people in the growing demographic of middle income classes were just getting into the groove of actually using credit cards in general. Fast forward one year in China, an Olympic year (and the Year of the Rat), and credit card companies are all the rage -especially among young people who like to use and show their cards as indicators of their style, not to mention as a key accessory. The coolest cards have to be the mini-me cards whereby young girls can wear their card as an earring, on a belly-chain, or necklace.
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Here are some links to top China banks and the cool cards being offered:

China Merchants Bank: http://creditcard.cmbchina.com/

http://creditcard.cmbchina.com/products/intro/subject/

China Construction Bank: http://ccb.3cbank.com.cn/

Agricultural Bank of China: http://www.abchina.com/cn/hq/business.jsp/fid=20000018/id=80000287/sid=20000109/index.html

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China: http://www.icbc.com.cn/card/index_card.jsp

For more information about China Youth Culture” including upcoming fresh data on youth culture credit card spending preferences and shopping patterns from Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing, email info@labelnetworks.com: (323) 630-4000 about the Premium Global Youth Culture Subscription 2008.

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