City’s Credit Card Will Help Others in Need

Your wallet may already be bulging with credit cards, but if you are a West Hollywood resident, there is a new piece of plastic that you may have a hard time resisting.

City officials Monday unveiled the first-ever West Hollywood credit card--a partnership between the city and the Bank of Los Angeles, which is headquartered in West Hollywood.

While city-sponsored affinity credit cards are common, West Hollywood’s is a bit different than most. One percent of the proceeds from purchases made with the West Hollywood credit cards will be placed in a trust fund and distributed by the city’s Human Services Department to local nonprofit social service organizations.

In many other cities, the revenue from a city-issued credit card goes into the general fund.

Nancy Sinclair, head of marketing for Bank of Los Angeles, said she expects 500 people to sign up for the credit cards in the first year. And she expects 350 of those people to use the card frequently.

Credit card customers will be able to sign up this weekend during West Hollywood’s Gay Pride Festival. Anyone who signs up during the festival will receive a free T-shirt, Sinclair said.