Nationwide / Co-op Electron cards

[Flightmapping]

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We are increasingly commenting on the hidden extra charges airlines add on to flight prices (A-Z list on the way), but one of the most common gripes is the fee charged for payment by anything other than an Electron card.

We don't normally enter the financial services zone, but as we will be puttin comments about this on quite a large number of pages, I thought I'd ask:

1) Do either of the above two have affiliate programmes for personal and small business accounts.
2) If there's anyone from Nationwide reading this, or any customers who can comment - do Nationwide even issue Electron cards?

Basically, for any other purposes, Electron is a downgraded Visa debit card, but airlines are increasingly using this as a loop hole to charge extortionate fees on other cards - even Aer Lingus are at it now - £4 per person, per sector!

[acutts]

the post office do prepaid visa electron cards with an affiliate program on tradedoubler. Might be easier to pursuade people to get one of these than to switch their bank account?

[wilwak]

Very interesting info James. Thanks. I too am fed up with having to pay fees even with debit cards.

[Flightmapping]

Acutts - thanks, I have seen that discussed elsewhere. Afaik, you still pay a 1.5% fee to load it up, but I think you make a key point - people will percieve that card as being easier, so we can still mention it and take a commission without losing credibility. Paying 1.5% each time is still less than what you would pay to the airlines - I don't think people object to card fees per se, what they object to is the huge difference there is between one different piece of plastic and another. When there's return flights out there for £20, "all inclusive" (and sometimes even less), an extra £9.50 processing fee is almost 50% - higher than the APR you might pay if went to borrow that money from a loan shark!

[acutts]

You weren't kidding... charging to use the toilet?!

[Flightmapping]

We were last night - see discussion here:

http://www.affiliates4u.com/forums/t...-rip-offs.html