serious new player in the industry

bikermike · 06-29-2008, 01:06 PM

Here's something to think about,

Merchants are getting so tired of the fees that there's a new credit card company that has been launched called Revolution Money which avoids the high interchange fees. Many big names are part of the company like Steve Case (former AOL Time Warner Chairman), Frank Raines (former CEO and Chairman of Fannie Mae), Larry Summers (Former Secretary of Treasury, President of Harvard) and more.

Do you think this will end up being a big competitor against credit cards?

There's legislation in the house and senate which would allow merchants to bargain collectively with credit card companies to negotiate their fees. Mastercard has capped the fee on gas purchases of more than $50 but this all might be coming too late. I can see why these mom and pop shops are getting angry over the high fees so this new thing may actually have a chance.

magyar1045 · 06-29-2008, 01:32 PM

Don't think it will ever get off the ground. The banking monopoly will make sure of that.

fffresh · 06-29-2008, 03:11 PM

Actually they may have a shot. I think they would have to market it a different way and have some kind of fresh twist to it to make people want to use it though. Yep a lot of people aren't happy with the fees so I wouldn't be shocked to see some transition over. I do think what magyar says about the monopoly is true in that even if this gets off the ground the old school companies will still control a big majority of the market.

Who's funding this thing anyway? With those types of people attached they must have some serious dough backing them up.

Mogul of Pineapples · 06-29-2008, 10:50 PM

Ok so I looked this thing up and get this... the funding is by Citi, Morgan Stanley, and Deutsche Bank! Why would Citi come out with a product that competes against their own? Here's what I think:

This is no different than a designer that sells high fashion clothes but has a cheap line of clothes at Target. They realize there's only so much money to make in one area, and so much in the other, so they do both to make the most possible. Citi probably has realized there's only so much money to make with traditional credit cards so why not capitalize on this new method too? It will be competing against themselves but it doesn't matter because they have a slice of pie on both sides. *This is what I think.
Or maybe Citi just got in because they thought "Oh crap this product is going to compete with ours and if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" as a way to hedge their business to play for both teams just to be safe
This product looks like it's a direct competitor to Paypal because it allows you to send payments to other account holders too. Maybe Citi got in on it for this reason alone so they could have a stake in a company which they hope will replace Paypal.

Those companies and those names behind it makes me think this thing isn't a joke and it's actually going somewhere. I'd like to see in 5 or 10 years where they are. Maybe they'll end up like Discover, a major credit card but with a minority marketshare.

06-29-2008, 01:06 PM	#1
bikermike Platinum Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 69	serious new player in the industry Here's something to think about, Merchants are getting so tired of the fees that there's a new credit card company that has been launched called Revolution Money which avoids the high interchange fees. Many big names are part of the company like Steve Case (former AOL Time Warner Chairman), Frank Raines (former CEO and Chairman of Fannie Mae), Larry Summers (Former Secretary of Treasury, President of Harvard) and more. Do you think this will end up being a big competitor against credit cards? There's legislation in the house and senate which would allow merchants to bargain collectively with credit card companies to negotiate their fees. Mastercard has capped the fee on gas purchases of more than $50 but this all might be coming too late. I can see why these mom and pop shops are getting angry over the high fees so this new thing may actually have a chance. Last edited by bikermike : 06-29-2008 at 01:10 PM.

06-29-2008, 10:50 PM	#4
Mogul of Pineapples Centurion Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Where the smog from the 101 freeway coats my home's windows... Posts: 490	Ok so I looked this thing up and get this... the funding is by Citi, Morgan Stanley, and Deutsche Bank! Why would Citi come out with a product that competes against their own? Here's what I think: This is no different than a designer that sells high fashion clothes but has a cheap line of clothes at Target. They realize there's only so much money to make in one area, and so much in the other, so they do both to make the most possible. Citi probably has realized there's only so much money to make with traditional credit cards so why not capitalize on this new method too? It will be competing against themselves but it doesn't matter because they have a slice of pie on both sides. *This is what I think. Or maybe Citi just got in because they thought "Oh crap this product is going to compete with ours and if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" as a way to hedge their business to play for both teams just to be safe This product looks like it's a direct competitor to Paypal because it allows you to send payments to other account holders too. Maybe Citi got in on it for this reason alone so they could have a stake in a company which they hope will replace Paypal. Those companies and those names behind it makes me think this thing isn't a joke and it's actually going somewhere. I'd like to see in 5 or 10 years where they are. Maybe they'll end up like Discover, a major credit card but with a minority marketshare. __________________ “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.” -Warren Buffett Current Cards: American Express: Blue Cash, Simply Cash Bank of America: Visa Financial Rewards Platinum Plus Chase: Rewards Visa, Amazon Visa Discover: More Current Everyday Card: American Express Blue Cash

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Virginia Business - News: Steve Case searches for another iconic brand	This thread	Refback	07-28-2008 03:42 PM

06-29-2008, 01:32 PM	#2
magyar1045 Centurion Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: California Posts: 162	Don't think it will ever get off the ground. The banking monopoly will make sure of that.

06-29-2008, 03:11 PM	#3
fffresh Centurion Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: the edge of the world Posts: 369	Actually they may have a shot. I think they would have to market it a different way and have some kind of fresh twist to it to make people want to use it though. Yep a lot of people aren't happy with the fees so I wouldn't be shocked to see some transition over. I do think what magyar says about the monopoly is true in that even if this gets off the ground the old school companies will still control a big majority of the market. Who's funding this thing anyway? With those types of people attached they must have some serious dough backing them up.