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Image Source: Engadget
BY COLLIN RUANE ANCHOR MIKAH SARGENT
Using your credit card on Twitter? As crazy as it sounds, it’s becoming reality.
American Express announced it’s teaming up with Twitter for a new program called AmEx
Sync on Twitter. Users will be able to buy products by syncing their card with their
Twitter account and tweeting special hashtags.
After the purchase is made, American Express tweets at the user. The user must then retweet
to confirm the order.
As a Fox News reporter notes—though financial information will be kept private—one major
concern is the safety of the program.
“It sounds crazy. It’s taking social commerce, and the idea of social commerce to a whole
new level.” “I would be a little scared to do something
like this, but American Express is not storing your credit card information with the merchants
or with Twitter.”
The overall concept might seem a bit confusing, but as CNBC shows us, it can be even more
confusing if you’re not very familiar with Twitter.
“What is a hashtag? I’ve never done a hashtag. It’s a number, isn’t it?”
“If I hashtag Westminster, every Westminster tweet will come up.”
“I’m really not that interested.”
Bloggers don’t seem to be taking the new announcement too seriously after offering
some sarcastic commentary.
A blogger for the Wall Street Journal writes: “Twitter Inc. is experimenting with becoming
a shopping mall.”
And Engadget says: “If driving to a store and waving your phone by a terminal puts too
much sweat on your brow, American Express has launched a new way to part with your money
in exchange for physical goods that's even more effortless.”
Mashable points out the move might be all about endorsements.
“For AmEx, the move may be less about boosting a fledgling ecommerce platform and more about
promotion; With each hashtag, users give a tacit endorsement to the program and … the
AmEx brand.”
According to The Next Web, items you can purchase from AmEx sync include discounted Kindle Fire
HD devices and Xbox 360 consoles.