Noble Credit Card Deal

MBNA America Bank and bookseller
Barnes & Noble Inc. have agreed to develop and market a cobranded credit card that will allow customers who use it to earn rewards at Barnes & Noble stores, as well as online at barnesandnoble.com. Under the terms of the agreement, MBNA will have the exclusive right to market credit cards to Barnes & Noble customers.

     The cards will have no annual fees, says the Wilmington, Del.-based financial institution, and it will offer competitive rates and terms. The agreement also gives New York City-based Barnes & Noble the right to market its products to MBNA's customers, one of the largest credit card customer bases in the world.

     The deal, says Carl Rosendorf, senior vice president of Barnes & Noble, gives the bank access to the bookseller's base of educated, affluent customers, and through the rewards program, gives those customers a reason to come back to the Web site and retail locations.