affinity card

American  

noun

1. a credit card issued in conjunction with an organization, as a university or sports club.

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affinity card British  

noun

1. a credit card issued by a bank or credit-card company, which donates a small percentage of the money spent using the card to a specified charity

2. a card entitling members of an affinity group (e.g. club, college) to a discount when used for purchases

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Etymology

Origin of affinity card

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

American Express, long known as a purveyor of traveler’s checks, started their own credit-card program in 1958, and the Hilton hotel chain’s Carte Blanche expanded their affinity card into a credit card.

From Time • Oct. 19, 2016

“An affinity card creates a false sense of relationship, of being special,” she explains.

From Washington Post • Oct. 22, 2015

Others say an affinity card is worth it only if you’re a frequent business traveler on an expense account — and even then, it can be risky.

From Washington Post • Oct. 22, 2015

Milton Kidd, a retired professor from Washington, D.C., says he felt strung along by his airline-branded affinity card.

From Washington Post • Oct. 22, 2015