As branch employees tell our customers every day, North Shore Bank credit cards can be a powerful tool for achieving financial goals. And with winter and the holiday season approaching, we can expect credit card usage to skyrocket, as it does every year, as customers pay for things like new tires and car repairs, unexpected expenses like furnace repairs, and holiday gifts and donations.

The bank offers several credit card options to fit customers’ needs, as well as employee credit cards — including everything from standard cards to rewards cards.

Below are four real-life examples of how credit cards have made a positive impact on our customers’ lives. Keep these in mind as you’re talking to customers, friends, and family who might benefit from these products.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!

Menasha teller Jenny Isenhower brought up our credit cards today while waiting on a customer at the line. At first, the customer was intrigued by the $200 bonus on the Real Rewards Card. Jenny immediately moved the customer to branch manager Deb Cumming’s office for a deeper conversation. As Deb was digging deeper into how the customer used the cards she already had, it was evident that the customer might not be prepared for unexpected expenses, as she is already carrying around $8,000 in credit card debt.

Deb did a great job discussing our 0 percent APR card and a HELOC for future needs. The customer decided that at this time, she would do the 0 percent card for 18 months. She also went home and discussed the HELOC with her adult children that night — and they thought Deb’s recommendation was great. The customer came back for her scheduled appointment yesterday and is moving forward with the HELOC too. She told Deb “a higher power brought me into your office.” Talk about a life-changing event!

An Outbound Call Saves a Ton

Brookfield Capitol personal banker Shannon Quinn made an outbound call to customer Jennifer from the branch’s marketing-recurring queue. During the call, Shannon learned that Jennifer had recently gotten married and that she’d been meaning to call the branch to figure out why her account was being assessed a monthly maintenance fee. After going over her account with Shannon, Jennifer scheduled an in-person appointment to update her name.

After the phone call, Shannon noticed small credit card payments were being made from Jennifer’s account. The day of the appointment, after getting Jennifer’s name updated, he asked her and her husband, Christopher, about their financial goals. He learned that Christopher had lost his job during the pandemic and was focused on paying off credit card debt now that he was working again. The credit card debt was at $20,000, and Christopher was paying over $1,000 a month toward it.

Shannon recommended he apply for our Visa Platinum credit card, do a balance transfer, and make the same monthly payments — meaning Christopher would pay off his debt in 18 months. Shannon even used our Balance Transfer Calculator to show them how much money they would save. Christopher applied for the Platinum card and was approved. He and Jennifer were so thankful for the recommendation and the financial check-in.

Getting More for Your Money

Northland branch manager Lacee Kalepp says: “I always like to tell customers how my husband and I each use different types of North Shore Bank credit cards for all of our spending. My daughter orders all of our groceries for delivery, and when I am in charge I order dinner to be delivered. My husband travels for work, so he spends a lot on gas. I love redeeming my rewards each year at Christmastime — last year, I had over $600 in cash back. This year it will be closer to $800! I’m going to pay for all of these things either way, so I figure, why not get something back?”

She adds: “And I always let me know I use the Elan app — just like I use my North Shore Bank mobile app — to track my spending, so I don’t spend more than I planned!”

Offering Rewards That Get Customers Excited

A customer came into the Germantown branch with a flyer for a promotion and told branch manager Erica Hughes she wanted to open a 25-month CD with 3.25 percent interest. In the course of their conversation, the customer talked about being 91, just having celebrated a grandchild’s wedding, and being excited for the upcoming birth of her 30th great-grandchild.

Erica asked about her plans for the rest of the day and week, and the months to come. The customer does her grocery shopping and baking, and gets her hair done weekly. She spends January through April of each year in Florida. Her primary bank is another bank, and she is happy with them.

But although she has two credit cards and one offers rewards, neither gave her 5 percent cash back. She was excited to apply for a North Shore Bank card that gave her those rewards — and that came with a $150 cash bonus for spending $500 in 90 days.

Keep these examples in mind as you talk to customers and others who could use a North Shore Bank credit card to lower their debt or earn valuable rewards.

And remember: Employees like you get special low rates on North Shore Bank credit cards. You can read more about the credit cards we offer and think about which one would work best for you. Applications are completed online. Branch employees who are interested in applying for an employee credit card should speak to their branch manager. Corporate employees should stop at the corporate branch, visit a local branch, or get in touch with VP branch sales Craig Witz.