BJ's Wholesale Club and Barclays Announce the Launch of the BJ's Visa Card With Enhanced Member Benefits

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    WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BJ's Wholesale
 Club, Inc., today announced that it has partnered with Barclays (NYSE:   BCS)
 to launch the BJ's Visa Card. The new credit card offers cardholders a
 faster, more consumer-friendly way to earn BJ's Bucks(R), and introduces a
 number of new, convenient card features that provide additional value to
 qualified BJ's Members. Consumers can apply for the card at
 http://www.bjsvisa.com.
     (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070821/AQTU060)
     Effective August 1, new BJ's Visa cardholders receive the following:
 
     -- Two points for every dollar spent on eligible BJ's purchases
     -- One point for every dollar spent on all other purchases
     -- 1,000 bonus points after their initial purchase
     -- For every 2,000 points accumulated, the cardholder automatically will
        receive with their monthly statement a $20 BJ's Bucks check, which can
        be used for BJ's purchases
     -- The option to use their BJ's Visa Card as their BJ's Membership Card
     -- Fast checkout with Visa payWave, Visa's contactless technology
     Visa payWave allows consumers to pay for purchases by waving their
 contactless-enabled card within two-inches of a secure card reader. The
 reader lights up and beeps to inform consumers that their transaction is
 being processed through Visa's secure network. Currently more than 32,000
 retailers in the U.S. accept Visa payWave.
     "Members shop at BJ's Wholesale Clubs for the quality products,
 selection, convenience and overall value that a BJ's Membership brings to
 their lives, and we wanted to deliver that same brand experience with our
 BJ's Visa Card," said Ed Gillooly, Executive Vice President, Chief
 Marketing Officer, BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. "We are always looking for
 ways to provide additional value to our Members and we feel that the BJ's
 Visa Card provides exceptional benefits."
     "We worked closely with BJ's to develop a card program for its Members
 that would deliver greater value and convenience, including faster rewards
 accumulation, integrating the membership card with the credit card, and the
 addition of Visa's payWave contactless payments," said Chuck Moore, Chief
 Marketing Officer, Barclays U.S. credit card business. "By making the BJ's
 Visa Card a more rewarding and versatile card for consumers, we're helping
 the company build a stronger, more loyal member base while helping
 consumers save even more money at BJ's."
     Barclays also plans to issue a business credit card for BJ's Business
 Members beginning in January 2008.
     "The BJ's partnership is a testament to Barclays ability to provide
 more customized and flexible offerings, greater loyalty opportunities, new
 technologies and unparalleled customer service to the nation's best known
 brands," said Lloyd M. Wirshba, CEO of Barclays U.S. credit card business.
 "As one of the most innovative credit card issuers in the world, Barclays
 can leverage the knowledge, expertise and proven marketing strategies of
 our global card operations to help our partners achieve maximum results
 from their co-branded credit card offerings."
     "We believe the new BJ's Visa Card will help to address consumer desire
 to get more from every purchase through enhanced rewards, while offering a
 fast, convenient purchase process with Visa payWave," said Jim McCarthy,
 Senior Vice President, Consumer Credit Products, Visa USA. "Working in
 partnership with Barclays and BJ's, we can deliver BJ's Members with a
 compelling purchase choice over cash and checks."
     For additional information regarding the terms and conditions of the
 BJ's Visa, please log on to http://www.bjs.com.
     About BJ's Wholesale Club
     BJ's Wholesale Club is dedicated to providing its members with
 high-quality, brand name merchandise at prices that are significantly lower
 than the prices found at supermarkets, supercenters, department stores,
 drug stores and specialty retail stores. BJ's offers low BJ's Member
 Pricing on a huge selection of top-brand apparel and accessories, small
 appliances, consumer electronics, fine jewelry, groceries and other quality
 merchandise.
     Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. is a
 leading operator of warehouse clubs in the eastern United States. The
 Company currently operates 175 clubs and 99 gas stations in 16 eastern
 states. Learn more about BJ's Wholesale Club at http://www.bjs.com.
     About Barclays PLC
     Barclays PLC is a major global financial services provider engaged in
 retail and commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth
 management and investment management services. It is one of the largest
 financial services companies in the world by market capitalization. With
 over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in
 over 50 countries and employs over 127,000 people. Barclays moves, lends,
 invests and protects money for over 25 million customers and clients
 worldwide. For further information about Barclays, please visit our website
 http://www.barclays.com.
     Headquartered in Wilmington, DE, Barclays U.S. credit card business has
 more than 50 partnerships with some of the country's most successful
 travel, entertainment, retail and financial institutions including US
 Airways, AirTran Airways, Frontier Airlines, Midwest Airlines, Carnival
 Cruise Lines, BJ's Wholesale Club, Travelocity, Gulf Oil, and others. The
 company employs more than 1,400 associates in Wilmington and Colorado
 Springs, CO, and was named a Top Five Employer in Delaware in 2007. For
 more information please visit http://www.barclaycardus.com.
 
 

SOURCE Barclays PLC