The 8 Quirkiest Credit Cards Ever Issued

Today credit cards can be found in the wallets of average consumers as well as those of the very wealthy. In order to maintain the concept of credit cards as a status symbol, the marketing teams of card issuers continue to push their creative limits and deliver novel and often quirky credit card concepts.   

Here, moneyland.ch lists a selection of the world’s most quirky credit cards.

1. JCB Linda

If you tend to forget the dab of perfume in your morning rush, the perfumed Linda card issued by Japanese payments giant JCB may provide a solution. According to JCB, “Linda is a card product targeted to single working women in their 20s and 30s, who have high disposable income and are motivated to spend.” Linda struck a chord among young Japanese women. An impressive 550,000 people signed up for the card in the period between 2002 (the year it was launched) and 2007 alone. Linda cards and the associated rewards program remain popular in Japan.

2. Scented credit cards from Commerzbank

German bank Commerzbank followed JCB’s lead, launching its own series of scented credit cards in 2008. But instead of perfuming its way into young womens’ purses, Commerzbank opted for conservative aromas like orange, cinnamon and coffee which would otherwise be found in a German bakery or winter market.

3. Dubai First Royale

This card was introduced in 2007 and was offered to select high-net-worth customers. It doubled as both a credit card and a small-scale diamond investment. But while the Royale came with bling, an exclusive concierge service, and a dedicated relationship manager, its single diamond didn’t hold a candle to the 333 diamonds studded onto the more exclusive Royal Legend credit card. The latter was offered only to middle-eastern royalty.

4. Rosan Diamond Art Collection card

Diamonds have their charm, but if you are more inclined towards fine art, then Rosan Diamond steps in with its custom hand-crafted credit cards. You can also combine both diamonds and art by having the jewelers incorporate gemstones into the design. The so-called art has its price: Be prepared to pay between 25 and 50 thousand francs.

5. Lady’s Solitaire Swarovski Crystal Card from UOB

This piece of bling was issued by Singapore bank UOB in 2015. This limited edition of UOB’s Lady’s Solitaire card embedded with a single Swarovski crystal was distributed to well-heeled customers. If you love sparkles but cannot get your hands on a diamond-studded credit card, this Swarovski crystal card gives you more or less the same effect.

6. Pure + Solid Gold, Silver, and Platinum

When Swiss card issuers use the terms silver, gold, and platinum in relation to credit cards, they are referring to card benefits and lines of credit, and not to a physical attribute. When London-based card issuer Pure + Solid talks about silver, gold, and platinum credit cards, it means exactly what it says. Pure + Solid cards are crafted fully from the metal corresponding to their name. Although they are available to residents of Switzerland, only euro, US dollar, and British pound cards are available. While these cards do technically serve as a material asset in addition to their payment function, the high markups on the cost of the metal reduces their precious metal investment value.

7. The Palladium card from J.P. Morgan

Credit cards made out of gold had already been done, so palladium seemed like a logical next step to US bank J.P. Morgan Chase. The bank introduced its palladium card for its private banking customers in 2009. While the card might not be as simple to barter off in emergencies as a sliver of solid gold would, it does provide fuel for interesting conversations (So what exactly is palladium?). The card has since been re-branded as the Reserve Card.

8. AJ Glow-In-The-Dark Card from Revolut

Have you ever struggled to locate your credit card when out clubbing or running a late-night online shopping marathon? Revolut’s glow-in-the-dark credit card, which was offered as part of a campaign to support locked-down gyms during the coronavirus pandemic, might have been the literal light a the end of the tunnel.

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