Identifying a Good Rewards Program

Check Cards and Credit Cards offer rewards programs that come in many shapes and sizes. Here's a checklist to help you identify a good rewards program that better matches your lifestyle.

What Makes a Good Rewards Program?
There are many ways to evaluate rewards programs. Here are the some of the most important factors to consider:

Fee or free? Some rewards programs require membership fees to enter while others are free. If you're considering one with a fee, make sure you've weighed its benefits carefully.
How easy is it to earn points? Earning points on rewards programs can get complicated. Find out how much you need to spend in order to earn a point. The easier it is to earn, the better the program.
How long do points take to expire? In most programs, the points you earn will expire after a certain date. Before you sign up, find out how long points take to expire. It'll help as you plan to redeem them.
What can I get with my points? Earning points is only half the story. What's important is the type of rewards you can redeem with your points. Are the rewards offered of value to you?
How can I track my points? You shouldn't be left guessing when it comes to your points. Make sure the program you're considering lets you easily track your points online or by phone.

See How Visa Extras Measures Up
If you have a Wachovia Visa® Check Card, you can enroll in our rewards program, Visa Extras. Once you look at its benefits, you'll see how good a rewards program can be. It's free and there's no limit to the number of points you can earn. You earn 1 point for every $1 you spend in qualifying purchases*, and points expire only after 36 months. You'll be able to redeem your points for valuable rewards including travel, tickets to sporting events, gift certificates, and merchandise from leading retailers like Amazon.com®, L.L. Bean®, and Marriott®. You can also track your points and rewards information online or by phone.

Benefits for Businesses
Visa Extras has exclusive benefits for business owners too. Businesses have the opportunity to earn bonus points**, and you can redeem rewards towards office products, supplies, travel, top hotels and leading retailers.

Enroll Now
Signing up for Visa Extras is easy and free. Visit to enroll in the program, view the catalog or look at special offers. Starting today, you can begin rewarding yourself for your everyday purchases.

*A "Qualifying Purchase" is any signature-based purchase, Internet purchase, phone or mail order purchase, or automatic bill payment made with an enrolled Visa card, which is processed or submitted through the Visa U.S.A. Inc. transaction processing system. You must sign for all in-store purchases you make with an enrolled Visa card in order for such purchases to be deemed qualifying purchases; do not use a Personal Identification Number (PIN) when paying for your purchases with your enrolled Visa card if you want to earn points for such purchases. PIN-based purchases, payments of existing card balances, balance transfers, cash advances, ATM transactions, convenience checks, Interlink-processed transactions, fees charged by your Visa card issuer (for example, annual fees, finance charges, and related service charges, if any apply), payments made for pre-paid and re-loadable cards such as certain gift cards, Visa Buxx and similar cards, or payments made for payment instruments that can readily be converted to cash (for example, travelers cheques, money orders, wire transfers, and similar products or services) are not qualifying purchases. The types of Visa card transactions that will earn points may vary depending on the financial institution that issued the Visa card. You should check your card issuer's Visa Extras Terms & Conditions (available here once you enter your Visa card number in the Enroll Now/Check Eligibility area) for the applicable description of qualifying purchases.

**If you spend $4,000 on Qualifying Purchases using your enrolled Business Check Card within your first 12 months of enrollment, you'll earn two points for every $1 you spend on Qualifying Purchases for the rest of that 12-month period. At the end of this 12 month period and every 12 months after that, your earning rate is reset to one point per each $1.00 spent on Qualifying Purchases with the same opportunity as the prior year to earn double points.

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This newsletter does not constitute legal, accounting, tax or other professional advice. We recommend you contact your own legal, accounting, tax or professional advisor as neither Wachovia nor the publisher assumes responsibility for your relying on the information provided.