In our recent feature article, Credit Card Technology: 2013 And Beyond, we at IndexCreditCards.com attempted to identify the main technological trends that might soon affect credit card use. But it looks as if we missed one.

American Express and Twitter

Because, on Feb. 11, American Express announced that it had teamed up with Twitter to enable its cardmembers (although not those with corporate or prepaid products) to use tweets to buy American Express gift cards, and goods from a so-far limited number of retailers. At the launch of this new service, the participating outlets were Amazon, Sony, Urban Zen and Xbox 360.

However, the idea is more interesting than just that: you receive via Twitter special offers from a wide variety of companies, including local bricks-and-mortar stores. When you see one you like, you either:

1. Tweet your purchase from an online retailer for the goods to be delivered later, or
2. Tweet that you want to take advantage of a local offer. Then you visit the store, pay using your Amex card in the normal way, and walk away with the goods. You don’t need a coupon or voucher: the payment system already knows the deal you’ve struck, and will charge your card appropriately.

In both cases, you respond to an offer by tweeting the #hashtag it quotes, and you should then receive a tweet from American Express requesting your confirmation. Respond to that, and the deal is made.

How to participate

For you to become a participating purchaser, you first have to sync (register) your American Express card at this website. There’s an explanatory video there, along with instructions, and a feed showing the latest offers. These are likely to change frequently, but — just to give you a flavor of what to expect — when this writer visited the site they included:

• Sea Island Resort ‏@SeaIslandResort Tweet #AmexSeaIslandOffer, get $100 back 1x on $500+ on-site purch w/synced Amex Card! (RegLtd, Exp 3/15/13) Terms: http://amex.co/U38r8J
• Warby Parker ‏@WarbyParker Tweet #AmexWarby, get $10 back 1x on next $95+ online or in-store purch w/synced Amex Card! (Exp 3/31/13) Terms: http://amex.co/VBfwNG
• American Express ‏@AmericanExpress Get $25 Amex Gift Card for $15 w/synced Amex Card. Tweet #BuyAmexGiftCard25 to start purchase! QtyLtd Exp 3/3 Terms: http://amex.co/W4Xub3

Note the expiration dates on those offers, and that terms and conditions apply. For example, that last one, the $25 Amex gift card for $15, allows only one purchase per cardmember, and limits the total number of discounted cards on offer. And did you notice the limited quantity bit? You should. Because the deal sold out shortly after it was offered.

When The Financial Times (registration/subscription required) covered this story on the day after the announcement, it recalled a 2012 hacking attack on Twitter that may have seen some personal information compromised. However, American Express told the newspaper that it is not sharing any card data with the social media provider, so there should be no security issue.

More to come?

The FT went on to speculate that American Express might seek a similar arrangement with Facebook, but a spokesperson for the card issuer refused to comment. Watch this space for further developments.

Published 02/20/13