Enjoy life with Blue from American Express

MANILA, Philippines - You carefully choose your shoes. You nitpick over which gadget to buy. You’re selective with the restaurants to dine in. If you want your stilettos, mobile phones and leisure choices to be of utmost style and quality, then why shouldn’t you expect the same of your credit card?

BDO and American Express recently launched a new credit card, Blueâ from American Express, targeted to stylish independent youth who revel in a certain lifestyle.

Aside from being linked to the prestige and exclusivity of the American Express brand, Blue features an innovative clear plastic design with a modern blue accent in the center, an aesthetic that easily makes it a conversation starter and a point of interest.

But Blue’s real draw is its full range of exclusive benefits and instant rewards. American Express has partnered with some of the country’s most exclusive hotspots and brands, offering their youthful cardmembers access to clubs and events and discounts at bars and retail establishments. Blue even has online shopping partners, allowing cardmembers to enjoy safe and convenient shopping with certain e-commerce websites.

These perks are all meant to lure in the young 20-something who enjoys both a rewarding career and gratifying, sometimes self-indulgent, lifestyle. People like model and scenester Georgina Wilson and Azkal national football team members Phil and James Younghusband.

Here, we sneak a peek into the R & R — and spending — habits of these three celebrities.

Phil and James Younghusband: Two for the road

Asked how they enjoyed the recent Justin Bieber concert in Manila, football stars and brothers Phil and James Younghusband quickly, and laughingly, try to defend themselves. “We were there for our little sister,” says Phil. James, the older brother strengthens the defense with his own story. “Yeah, she wasn’t even allowed to stand on the chair so I had to lift her in my arms most of the time. My arms were hurting.”

Whether the Younghusband brothers are huge fans of the teenage Canadian pop star or just performing big brother duties can’t be confirmed. What we do know is that, apart from executing skillful moves on the turf, their one real interest is music. “We've never been to a concert in England. So here in Manila, we’ve been to about four or five,”says Phil. James ticks them off: “Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys, Lighthouse and, yeah, Justin Bieber.”

Though they’ll say they are open to all kinds of music, what really takes up space on their Mp4 players are those rhythmic, highly-engaging pop anthems often heard in the popular party circuit.

Which doesn’t necessarily translate to these two being hardcore party boys. “We celebrate,” says James. “We don’t really go out much,” adds Phil. “We’re not much into the club scene so we’re more likely to go into a bar like Opus where you can sit down, relax, and just chat with your friends.” (Their Blue Cards also gives them instant discounts at Opus and other trendy bars all across the country.)

James, for one, is more likely to spend his nights eating at a nice restaurant, usually with his girlfriend.“My favorite cuisine is Italian. I love spaghetti and ravioli.” Filipino food is a close second. “I love pansit. And I’m also starting to try out these fish dishes.”

“It’s nice to treat ourselves once in a while. To treat out our friends,” says Phil. “And the Blue Card gives us that chance.”

Other forms of self-indulgence include shopping online, “ mostly for gadgets, DVDs, music, football gear and stuff that you can’t really buy out here.” Music is also acquired through the Internet. “Legally,” affirms Phil.

And now that they’re in the spotlight more now, doing TV guestings and shoots, new clothes have become another shopping priority. “Since we’re on the TV a lot more now, it’s hard to be seen wearing the same thing. So if I know I have a guesting on TV and I need a new pair of pants, I’ll go and buy one,” says Phil, who confesses that despite being more exposed to trends, he still maintains a casual-comfortable fashion aesthetic.“I’m probably the more trendy of us two,” says James. “I like looking at magazines and seeing what’s fashionable.”

The ultimate indulgences for both brothers, however, would be a sports car. “I’d love to buy an Audi R8,” James says, further articulating that “it’s the car Tony Stark drives in the Iron Man movie.” Phil is aching for a Camaro.

But that would mean maxing out both their credit limits. Those cars, or maybe a house for their mum.

Georgina Wilson: A savvy shopper with a conscience

The screen on Georgina Wilson’s laptop is open to a page on the online shopping site, globaleshop.com. It displays a pair of classic black pointy pumps; the vivid red sole marks it as a pair of Christian Louboutins. “That’s what am hoping to buy next,” she says, part-wistful, wholly determined.

Just like any other girl, the host, model and gal-about-town has a declared partiality for shopping. “I’m pretty much a compulsive shopper,” she confesses, counting off shoes, makeup and “what my stylist friends tell me to buy” as some of the purchases she puts on her Blueâ from American Express credit card. She’s quite keen on online shopping, particularly since her card gives her easier and more convenient access to online and e-commerce sites.

Pampering visits to the spa and the salon are also indulgences. “I love going to spas and going to the salon. When I was living abroad as a student, I never really allowed myself to get pampered.” Now as a professional — and with the unforgiving, see-all TV and billboard spotlights constantly beckoning — the half-British stunner tries to go at least once a week. “I get the works: manicure, pedicure, hair treatments.”

But, probably Georgina’s biggest luxury right now is time. With hosting gigs, print and magazine shoots and appearances filling up her daily time card, she barely gets days off. When she does get a reprieve from the limelight, she makes sure to travel. “Traveling is vital for me.” While London, Paris and New York feel like second homes (“It’s too difficult to give just one favorite destination. It’s like asking me what my favorite shoe is.”), Georgina has always held a fascination for “mysterious, never-been-traveled-to” places. “ A recent jaunt took her to Tibet, an experience that was both magical and surreal. “At one point, I was asking myself, ‘Why am I here? How’d I get here?’ I was at the foot of Mt. Everest and I never expected to be able to do this.”

The rugged trails of Everest and the low-key landscape of Tibet seem like a contradiction to the jetsetting, high-living, luxury-loving image linked to Georgina Wilson. (It’s certainly a far cry from the fashionable, big-city vibes of London, Paris and New York.) While Georgina is first to admit that she can be “high-maintenance” and oblivious to luggage weight limitations when traveling, she is also quick to come to her own defense. “What not too many people know is that I grew up in a farm. I was surrounded by ducks and chickens and all these animals so I grew up playing in the mud. I may pack a month’s worth of clothes for just a day trip but am also down for climbing a mountain or rolling around in whatever.”

Georgina, the chic urbanite as opposed to the farm-raised girl game for anything is one of the top model’s personality contradictions. She reveals a few more in the course of the interview. That while she can play the part of the carefree party scenester (her Blue Card, after all, grants her free access to clubs like Republiq and Manor) she is also a woman mindful of her health and body. “I spend on working out a lot,” says Georgina. “I go to yoga classes, core kinesis classes. That’s probably the last thing I put on my card. “

That while she can be spontaneous with her spending, she is also one who knows her limits. “I don’t like spending money I don’t have. I used to be uncontrollable with my spending. But I’ve gotten more responsible now that I’m older.”

Now that she has the Blue Card in her possession, she’s even become more in control. “I’ve come to realized that a credit card is a necessity and that I should be mature about how I use it. Now, I’ve learned to put all my expenses on one card just to monitor expenses and to see my spending patterns.”

And right now, the pattern points to a classy pair of Louboutins.