Sotheby’s to Offer MasterCard with Cultural Rewards
By Justin McHenry
Sotheby’s, best known as the auctioneer of many famous and valuable artworks, is preparing to launch two new MasterCard products that will offer cardholders unique art experiences as well as free passes to major art galleries and museums. Issued by GE Money, the Sotheby’s World Elite MasterCard and Sotheby’s World MasterCard will offer rewards including the opportunity to visit prominent artists in their studios, private showings at art museums and Sotheby’s Diamonds trunk shows, the ability to convert points into philanthropic donations to arts organizations and other “experiential” rewards such as renting a French villa or playing golf with a PGA professional. In addition, cardholders can get free admissions for up to four visitors at major museums including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Walker Art Center and many more throughout the country.
MasterCard has recently upgraded its World and World Elite cards to make them even more appealing to high-income cardholders, with the strategy of making “experiences” as appealing as merchandise, if not more so. While the World MasterCard will be open for applications by anyone, the World Elite MasterCard will be by invitation only.
A Web site has been created for the Sotheby’s credit card at http://www.sothebysmastercard.com, but the cards themselves are not yet available. However, Sotheby’s did promise a spring launch, so it shouldn’t be long.