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Britons have an enduring love affair with loyalty points, according to new research from AA Financial Services, which launched the new AA Credit Card on tuesday, 27th October.

For more details on the AA Rewards Card click here

The new AA Credit Card offers reward points on all card purchases and customers can earn double points on motoring spend, fuel and AA products at a rate of 0% interest for the first 12 months. The AA’s 15 million members can earn points faster on motoring and fuel spend. The card also offers 0% for 12 months on balance transfers made within the first 90 days (subject to handling fee). The typical APR is 16.9% (variable).

Since the Green Shield Stamp revolution of the late 1950s, British buyers have collected stamps, points and tokens redeemable against a range of goods, for example choosing travel (25%), electrical goods (10%), motoring goods (3%) and glassware (3%).

Half (49%) of those surveyed say they have collected rewards, including garage gifts such as glasses or football coins, when buying fuel. Men, it seems, are more keen collectors than women, with 56% saying they collect points with fuel.

The findings suggest that the prospect of earning rewards on purchases seems more popular than ever. With collectors saying they would definitely change (31%), or would consider (41%) changing their credit card to one which offered a better reward scheme, the AA’s new credit card seems likely to be popular with the points-collecting public.

Points are redeemable on a wide range of motoring products, including AA Insurance, travel books and maps or they can be exchanged for shopping vouchers and cash-back.

Mark Huggins, director of AA Financial Services says that the new card is a big step forward with a wide range of rewards. “The cost of motoring is constantly rising – not least the price of fuel: and the new AA card offers the opportunity to help ease the financial pain of running a vehicle.

“Our research clearly shows that collecting rewards is popular amongst consumers and this new card offers a way of helping to ease the burden of motoring costs. This really is ‘the motorist’s card’ and the rewards that it offers, especially for AA members, makes it a best-buy against other reward cards in the market.”

The research also revealed that while men are keener to collect points, women who do collect them are more likely to redeem them - 65% against 54% of men. But both sexes (20%) are just as likely to collect them - and then forget to redeem them.

Mark Huggins says that the AA Credit Card taps into a peculiarly British love of collecting rewards and admits that he was once an avid collector of Green Shield stamps. “Little books filled with them could be redeemed at showrooms - and our research showed that over two-thirds of older respondents (68% of those aged 56 and above) collected them. Many garages used to offer ‘double stamps’ on fuel and the card perpetuates that for AA members.”

For more information and to apply visit www.theAA.com