JPMorgan Attaches Special Services To T&E Cards For VIPs
Business Travel Executive Redline News, 3/6/2008
JPMorgan has unveiled its new Corporate Platinum and Gold Card T&E cards, designed for corporations' top executives. The financial services firm is placing special emphasis on the cards' airport lounge and baggage delivery features but they also offer concierge services, travel accident and lost luggage insurance coverage, and emergency medical and dental coverage.
Access is provided to more than 500 VIP lounges in 275+ cities worldwide, regardless of whether or not the cardholder is traveling on the lounge's sponsoring airline. That's 50 percent more than the lounge locations offered by American Express Platinum Card, says JPMorgan's Rich Erario, emphasizing his company's determination to "go head-to-head with American Express." The lounge access program has been developed under an agreement with Priority Pass.
The VIP Luggage Delivery service - a new feature among corporate card programs - eliminates the wait for checked bags after landing. "You'd be surprised how many executives are still lugging their bags around," says Erario, who is JPMorgan's senior vice president for commercial card and electronic procurement, invoicing and payables.
Instead, JPMorgan VIP cardholders will be able to log onto the program's specified URL, file the pertinent information (flight number, ultimate destination, etc.) and then check their bags as usual at the airport. But at their destination airport, they can go immediately to their meeting appointments, knowing that their bags will be delivered to the specified location within four hours of landing. The service is available to Corporate Gold cardholders for $39.95 for two bags; each additional bag will cost $5. Corporate Platinum cardholders receive their first eight uses free each year; each of these deliveries can include up to eight bags. After that, they pay the same $39.95-per-two-bags fee.
The service is provided under an exclusive agreement with Priority Solutions International, which manages luggage delivery for six of the seven largest North American airline carriers.