Several companies have launched credit cards that focus on giving back to the environment. But until recently, I hadn’t found a card that focused on the green traveler’s needs as both an environmentalist and a traveler.
Earlier this year I was invited to beta test the ZYNC Card from American Express and I’ve been exploring its benefits since March. Overall, I like what I’ve found. The ZYNC Card has “packs” — essentially interest areas — that are aimed at twenty- and thirty-somethings and benefits that will appeal to eco-conscious travelers.
Give Back: Get Paid to Volunteer
You don’t quite get paid to volunteer with the Give Back Pack, but you can get up to $200 worth of gift certificates (or hundreds of other rewards) each year just for volunteering. And the ZYNC Card rewards you for donating to nonprofits. The Give Back Pack is free to use.
Give Back Pack
- Get 1,000 Membership Rewards® points for each logged hour of volunteer service through Members Project® from American Express and TakePart. That’s double the 500 points you would normally get for each hour you volunteer through Members Project. .
- Get Membership Rewards points on charitable donations. And don’t forget, you can get 1 point for every dollar donated through americanexpress.com/give using your American Express® Card.
Shop Green, Ask Green, Go Green
With the Eco Pack, you earn extra points when you shop at certain green merchants and you get access to an eco-concierege. I know who I’ll be calling in my search for an environmentally friendly mattress. Like the Give Back Pack, the Eco Pack is free to use.
Eco Pack
- 2X Membership Rewards® points when you shop at over 4,000 select green merchants as rated by Greenopia®, your local guide to green living.
- Access to the eco-concierge at Greenopia, the go-to resource for your eco-questions.
- Membership Rewards redemption discounts on select eco-friendly merchandise. Use 25% fewer points to redeem for qualified eco-friendly merchandise and carbon offsets at membershiprewards.com/eco.
Travel Securely
The Travel Pack costs an extra $25/year, but you get additional discounts on rental cars (be sure to book a hybrid) and double membership rewards points on various travel purchases.
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on airfare ticket purchases up to the first $5000/year.
- Up to 25% off at Avis and Budget when you book your rental vehicle.
- Up to 20% off at Hertz and get 2 days of free GPS when you rent for 3 days or longer.
- Get a $50 credit when you book a trip through American Express Vacations before 12/31/10.
- Enrollment in Credit Card Registry at no additional cost. Valued at $29, Credit Card Registry provides peace of mind by canceling and replacing all of your lost or stolen cards, including non-American Express Cards; assisting you in replacing your passport in an emergency. Plus, your spouse is also covered at no extra cost. Enrollment details will arrive separately in the mail.
Other Benefits
And the ZYNC Card gives you other American Express benefits that will save you money and stress while traveling.
- Emergency assistance when Card members are 100 miles or more away from home with Global Assist ® Hotline
- Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance, at no additional charge
- 24/7 Roadside Assistance Anywhere
- Baggage Insurance Plan
And because ZYNC is a charge card (not a credit card), you pay it off in full each month. This means that you can set a better budget for your travel and and you won’t rack up hefty interest fees.
The Downsides
For me, the big downside of the ZYNC Card (and other AmEx cards) is that many locally-owned and small business don’t take American Express. While that can be a bit of a hassle, I’ve just made sure to have a backup credit card with me at all times.
You also have to make sure the benefits you get from the card justify the expenses of the annual fee and the packs you choose. But AmEx really does have great benefits that I didn’t know about before, so I would recommend reading up on those to be sure you take full advantage of them.
Overall, I think the ZYNC Card is a great option for green travelers.
Disclaimer: I was compensated to be part of a panel that beta-tested the card. However, I was not compensated for this review. Go Green Travel Green’s review policy is to only post reviews that we think will be useful to our readers.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
i am not a fan of having credits and getting credits cards.*~-
i had a bad credit score last year but i was able to fix it now.~`’
Since when do people get gift cards for volunteering? Interesting.
we can’t avoid to have some credit on banks or from other people, there are just times that we are short of money’-`
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