The new rewards card that's going to face reality
American Express and JetBlue Airways have decided to air their loyalty reward programme members' smartest ideas on in-flight television in a short reality show that aims to encourage families to work together and be more innovative in finding ways to boost their loyalty point earning options.
The 'Share The Love: A Rewards Challenge' competition will involve two families, who will be flown to a JetBlue destination. The families will then compete against each other as they hunt for the most creative ways to earn enough TrueBlue points using their JetBlue Card from American Express for their return flight home. But to add a little interest, they will only be able to earn American Express Award Dollars by making purchases for other people (hence the 'Share the Love' title) - and they only have 48 hours to succeed.
In-flight show The families' experiences during the competition will be filmed to create a reality TV programme that will air on JetBlue flights in Spring 2006, also with some segments being featured on the JetBlue web site. The winning family will be chosen by popular vote, based on the most creative ways to earn American Express Award Dollars.
The winning family will be awarded a year's worth of travel on JetBlue. The second-place family will receive a prize of 40,000 Award Dollars (equivalent to 200 TrueBlue points, or two round-trip JetBlue tickets).
Must be fun Auditions for competitors for the new show are to be held in Boston, Fort Lauderdale, San Francisco/San Jose, and Washington DC during the next two weeks. The companies say they are looking for families that represent their typical customers: "People who know a good deal when they see it, and like to have fun".
Beth Lacey, senior vice president of strategic alliances at American Express, said: "We wanted to launch the JetBlue Card with a competition that engages customers and demonstrates the benefit of having the card, while having some fun at the same time."
For additional information: · Visit JetBlue Airways at http://www.jetblue.com · Visit American Express at http://www.americanexpress.com