A little over a week ago, I heard about how Facebook would be offering virtual credit for Zynga games including Farmville, Frontierville, and PetVille. Since then, however, there has been another huge development for Zynga. American Express has announced that card holders can use their rewards points to buy exclusive virtual items on Zynga games that are not available to non-card holders.Rewards points, usually used to redeem gift cards, airline tickets, and electronics, can now buy an Amex Lightning Stove in Zynga’s Café World or a Purple Cow in Farmville. Card holders earn 1 point for every dollar spent, and a $100 gift card at Bloomingdale’s, Tiffany & Co., and Amazon can be earned with 18,000 points, approximately 180 points per dollar. Zynga gift cards are $25 for 2,500 points, or 100 points per dollar. Considering that the Farmville Purple Cow is 540 points, the Purple Cow is about $5.40, and the Amex Lightning Stove is 1,945 points or $19.45.
I know that people really enjoy Zynga games. As I said in my previous blog, I am addicted to Frontierville. I understand, however, that Frontierville is just a game. Whether it is 500 points or 2000 points, I am not using my rewards points on virtual livestock or decorations when I could save them up for stuff I could use in real life. It is too early to tell how successful the American Express-Zynga partnership will become, but I hope that people have the good sense not to spend their points on a purple cow. Is it a cute cow? Sure. Is it worth any points, much less 540 of them? No.
To learn more about responsible credit card use, go to http://blog.mycreditspecialist.com, and sign up for a free credit evaluation at http://www.mycreditspecialist.com.
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