AA axes joint membership credit card

The Automobile Association is scrapping its combined membership and credit card after a take-up of only 70,000 from a membership of 9.5 million.

It will replace the “AA Membership Card” with two new credit cards, in May, called the Gold Card and the Low Interest Card. These will be targeted at a broader section of its members and non-members.

HFC Bank, which issued the AA Membership Card, has transferred the customer data to Vauxhall’s GM Card, which it also backs.

The AA’s Gold Card and the Low Interest Card will initially target 400,000 members through a direct mail campaign devised by direct marketing agency Rapier. It will then be rolled out to consumers outside the AA, especially the borrower-focused Low Interest Card.

The AA, which also offers a range of loans, will retain its existing standalone credit card, AA Card. Bank of Scotland will issue all three AA credit cards.

Vauxhall is also to expand its GM Card customer base. New measures will extend the reward scheme to include non-Vauxhall products.