I rarely open emails from retailers, especially around the holidays. As someone who has checked the “send me offers” box on registration forms for a decade, I’m inundated. But every once in a while I check out the Costco email to see what outrageous deals they are offering and, more importantly, whether any financial services are being showcased. For example, in March we wrote about the $90 Sharebuilder promo from Costco. 

Last Friday, the big-box giant did not disappoint. It had two financial offers above the fold:

• Extended-payment option: A surprisingly large and prominent pitch for PayPal’s extended-payment program, Bill Me Later (see inset and upper-right corner in screenshot below). The BML option allows Costco customers to defer payment for an unspecified amount of time interest-free if paid in full by the due date (typically a few months out), or to pay the amount back over time at an 18.99% APR.
• Costco cash cards: While it’s no surprise that the retailer is pitching store cards 7 days out from Christmas Day (see landing page below), I was surprised they weren’t merchandising them more aggressively. The problem was that even with rush delivery, the plastic card wasn’t guaranteed to arrive before Christmas, so it wasn’t a great gift option. The retailer could use an online giftcard option for instant delivery.

Costco holiday email (Friday, 18 Dec. 2009)

Bill Me Later landing page (link)

Costco prepaid card landing page (link)