Businesses Receive Discounted Purchase Fee and Waived Set-Up Fee For Orders Placed by Dec. 31, 2008

www.americanexpress.com/businesslogo

NEW YORK (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) December 4, 2008 -- Businesses can now make their mark with employees, clients and customers when they choose American Express® Business Logo Gift Cards. As a premium gifting product, the new Business Logo Gift Card offers businesses a custom gift option that recipients can redeem as they wish, and an opportunity to celebrate and promote their brand.

Gift-giving has long been recognized as a powerful way to build business relationships, and gift cards bring added benefits to this time-honored tradition: choice for the recipient, and an opportunity for the business to be remembered as providing that choice

Our new Business Logo Gift Cards can help strengthen the connection between giver and recipient even further, and we're pleased to offer businesses of all sizes a gift option that can be widely used and can now bear their name.

For orders placed by December 31, 2008, businesses can receive 50% off standard rates, and American Express will waive the $500 set-up fee. Standard pricing starts at $4.95 per card. More information is available at www.americanexpress.com/businesslogo or by calling 800-316-4420.*

“Gift-giving has long been recognized as a powerful way to build business relationships, and gift cards bring added benefits to this time-honored tradition: choice for the recipient, and an opportunity for the business to be remembered as providing that choice,” said Stefan Happ, general manager, American Express Gift Cards. “Our new Business Logo Gift Cards can help strengthen the connection between giver and recipient even further, and we’re pleased to offer businesses of all sizes a gift option that can be widely used and can now bear their name.”

Three-quarters of small and mid-sized businesses have given a gift card to customers or clients, and 90% have given a gift card to employees, according to a 2008 American Express Gift Card survey.

• Customer and client gifts: For businesses giving gifts to customers and clients, “thank you” topped the list of the most cited reasons for choosing a gift card at 61%, followed by the year-end/holiday gift (50%). Businessess also gave gift cards to clients and customers for referrals (38%), personal occasions (35%) and to mark the length of the relationship (31%).
• Employee gifts: Of those businesses who chose gift cards for employees, 54% handed them out during the year-end holidays, and 48% used them for thank-yous and recognition throughout the year. Other occasions for which employees received gift cards include personal occasions such as birthdays (35%), goal attainment (35%), length of service awards (31%), sales incentives (25%), employee referrals (22%), ideas and suggestions programs (22%), and retirement (19%).

From the employee perspective, gift cards are a desirable gift, and are bested only by cash and time off. In fact, a gift card is twice as exciting as companywide recognition, and nine times more exciting than dinner with the boss, according to a 2007 American Express Gift Card survey of employees.

About American Express

American Express Company (www.americanexpress.com) is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.

American Express is a leader in consumer prepaid products. In addition to the 117-year old American Express Travelers Cheque - the preeminent brand welcomed worldwide - the Company issues other prepaid products including Gift Cards, Gift Cheques, and a range of corporate incentive prepaid products through American Express Incentive Services.

The American Express Gift Card can be redeemed at U.S. retailers and restaurants that accept the American Express Card. It lets the recipient choose from millions of things and experiences, making it the ideal solution for the upcoming holiday season -- unlike store gift cards, instead of one place, the American Express Gift Card is good all over the place and gives endless ways to make everyone happy. The Gift Card is available in denominations ranging from $25 to $3,000 and is replaceable if lost or stolen for a fee. American Express Gift Cards are available online at http://www.americanexpress.com/gift, and nationwide at tens of thousand of locations, including supermarkets, drug stores, office supply stores, shopping centers, banks and American Express Travel Service offices. For a complete list of participating locations visit http://www.americanexpress.com/gift.

* Terms, conditions and purchase/replacement fees apply to Gift Cards. Subject to applicable law, a monthly service fee of $2.00 is waived for the initial 12 months after purchase. A $5.95 replacement fee may apply if a Gift Card is lost or stolen. The Gift Card is not for use at cruise lines, casinos or ATMs, and cannot be used outside of the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Additional restrictions apply. For more information, visit www.americanexpress.com/gift.

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