Back around 1992 or '93 a bank (now known as Bank of America) approached TCA about issuing a TCA VISA card. It would come with a low interest rate and some other features that the bank felt would make it attractive to TCA members.
The card was also attractive to TCA because the bank would pay TCA a royalty (reward) for every member who agreed to take the card and also when card holders used their cards. Over the years this has grown in to a substantial amount of money.
In the last few years, royalty payments on the TCA VISA card have been about the same amount of money that would be paid in dues by 1,000 members. This has made it possible for TCA to stave off even more frequent requests for dues increases. It has also made it possible for TCA to keep the requested amounts low.
Here I will point out that the last dues increase amounted to 1.9 cents per day. The one currently under consideration is 0.82 cents per day. While no one wants to raise dues, I think that everyone can agree that these amounts are extremely minimal.
To return to the subject of the TCA VISA Card, let me say that we really want more TCA members to accept this card and use it. In an organization of 30,000 members there are only about 2,000 TCA VISA Cards in use and I have one of them.
It is a fact of modern life that most people use two financial instruments with ever increasing frequency. One is a Debit Card and the other is a Credit Card. Cash and checks, while they will never disappear, are rapidly falling into disuse.
Here is what you can do to aid TCA in its "Battle of the Budget." Sign up for the TCA VISA Card. You can do this by clicking the link found on www.tcamembers.org. It is easy and secure. Once the card arrives use it in place of the card you are now carrying.
TCA receives a financial gain each time the card is used and as I pointed out above, it helps to reduce the need to increase dues. If just one third of the membership (10,000 members) used the TCA VISA Card this latest dues increase would not be necessary.
As noted previously on this blog, Those who hold a TCA VISA Card can now renew their TCA Membership on line. Other benefits for those holding the TCA VISA Card are in the works. Why did we undertake this? Because the TCA VISA Card provides a significant financial lift to TCA that other credit cards do not supply.
You can help TCA in two ways.
First, you can vote for the dues increase.
Second, you can get and use the TCA VISA Card.
