Thursday, 22 February 2007 11:44:03
MILAN - F.C.Internazionale, MasterCard and Banca Popolare di Milano (BPM) have teamed up to create a innovative product for Inter fans.

The CartaINRETE, a prepaid, reloadable credit card, was unveiled during a press conference at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Valencia.

The credit card is now available at all branches of BPM, Banca di Legnano, and through the internet sites www.cartainrete.inter.it and www.bpmprepagate.it. Linked to the MasterCard network, CartaINRETE can be used to make purchases in millions of shops in Italy and worldwide, and online.

"The creation of a product like CartaINRETE originates from the rapport between MasterCard and a sport which is pure passion in Italy," declared Beatrice Cornacchia, marketing director for MasterCard in Italy and Greece. "It was a natural choice to create a product with Banca Popolare di Milano, with whom we have had an important partnership for years, and with Inter, a team with a hundred-year history of triumphs."

BPM general director Fabrizio Viola said the co-branded credit card was a further step forward in the successful collaboration between the Milanese bank and Inter, which dates back to the 1980s.

CartaINRETE holders can earn points through the Black & Blue Club loyalty programme, which uses a technology developed by Reward UK to make participation simple and easy.

Ernesto Paolillo, general director and CEO of F.C. Internazionale, added: "In the fascinating atmosphere of a highly important Champions League match we are pleased to present a product created with Banca Popolare di Milano and MasterCard. CartaINRETE is a useful and practical product for everyday use, which will help unite the fan to the club and team even more, as fans can accumulate points through the Black & Blue loyalty programme.

"We strongly believe that uniting passion for Inter and the Inter brand to a prepaid, reloadable card, which offers many advantages to the client, and to two leading brands in their fields, like BPM and MasterCard, can be as successful as our team."

Modern, safe, boundless and with a youthful look, the CartaINRETE, designed by Rocco Toscani for the Sterpaia creative company, is destined to become a status symbol for all Nerazzurri fans.