Customers Flock to Amex Blue.

• Position: Study by Brittain Associates - Brief Article

The new American Express Blue card appears to be a success, but not necessarily for the reasons American Express envisioned.

A study conducted by Brittain Associates, an Atlanta-based financial marketing research firm, reports that the Blue card is gaining, on average, nearly 500,000 new accounts per month. But the study says consumers seem more attracted to the card's new low interest rates than to its smart card technology.

The Blue card comes with an imbedded computer chip, which offers consumers another level of security for online purchasing. But making use of that security level requires cardholders to attach special card readers to their computers, and Brittain Associates president Bruce Brittain says most customers have not taken advantage of this feature to date.

"The chip provides some sizzle"...