Member Exclusive, The Customer Effect
‘Like sneaker culture’: Are gimmicky debit cards overplayed or a smart business decision?
- Revolut’s glow-in-the-dark debit card is the latest in a series of flashy debit cards to hit the market.
- Experts say it’s a smart, cost-effective strategy that builds customers, brand equity and culture.
For the last few years, flashy, novelty debit cards have dominated the digital banking market. Nothing quite captures their spirit of prestige than reddit user AverageStergios talking about Revolut’s new glow-in-the-dark debit card.
“Now you pay at the club like a badass 😎”,” writes AverageStergios on a Revolut/Anthony-Joshua subreddit without any irony.
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I’m inclined to believe the gimmicky card trend is a good thing — examples in this piece referenced supporting charities and some real creativity in card design. I had a vertical designed card a few years back and thought, “Wow, that’s a little different.” If you are offering cards, don’t you want a little “wow” every now and then? If so, why can’t card issuers have 50 or 100 cards to choose from?