In a press release issued from Capcom moments ago they announced the availability of an industry first. Starting today Capcom fans nation wide will have the opportunity to take their love of all things Capcom to the next level and show that they truly bleed yellow and blue by applying for a Capcom Unity prepaid Visa card. Now this is NOT a credit card; there are no credit checks, no finance charges, no debt. Think of it as a reloadable gift card that is accepted anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. When used, not only will card holders  earn cash back that can be redeemed at the Capcom Rewards Mall, but they will also be given a 15% discount on items from the Capcom Online Store and will earn points on Capcom-Unity.com. And this is naming only a few of the perks associated with the card.

Hit the jump for more information on the Capcom Unity Prepaid Visa Card.Applicants will be able to choose from 6 card designs; 2 designs from each of the following games: Street Fighter IV, Resident Evil 5 and Bionic Commando. New designs will be made available at a later date.

There is a small one-time fee of $9.95, which may seem off setting at first but pending you use your card enough it will pay for itself before you know it.

Yours truly just applied for the card you see above. After running through a brief series of easy to navigate application screens I was approved immediately and even had the opportunity to add funds to my card (I threw $20 on there for starters). After all was said and done I wound up paying $29.95 for a kick-ass Ryu prepaid Visa card…not too shabby. The card is expected to arrive in 7-10 days. I will give you all an update when I receive my Capcom Unity Prepaid Visa Card in the mail sometime next week.

The following is a list of all of the benefits associated with the Capcom Unity Prepaid Visa Card:

Discounts:

Get a 15% discount on ANY purchases from the Capcom Online Store. Just buy two full priced games and your card pays for itself.

Rewards:

Earning cash-back Rewards

• Earn a half-percent cash-back on your every day spending
• Earn up to 20% cash-back from Capcom Rewards Mall with over 750 online merchants, like iTunes, BestBuy.com, Target.com and more.

Redeem cash-back Rewards

• Redeem cash back for gift cards at a discount, or load the cash right on your Capcom-Unity Visa card.

Earn & Redeem Capcom Unity Points

• Earn points which are redeemable for free downloads, rare merchandise, unique one-of-a-kind experiences, and a variety of other, unique rewards.
• Earn 5,000 Unity points just for signing up
• Earn 500 Unity points each time you load your card via payroll direct deposit Earn 5 Unity points for every dollar you load on your card
• Redeem Unity points for points based auctions a variety of exclusive Capcom rewards, such as an all-expense paid trip to major video gaming events, be written into a game, have lunch with a game producer and much more.

Access:

• Participate in selected new game closed Beta tests
• Exclusive access to electronic assets
• A chance to win all Capcom games for the next five years
• Obtain Cardholder exclusives: limited-edition game merchandise
• Redeem or win Unique Capcom Experiences:
  • Be written into a comic book
  • Be an extra on a Capcom movie set
• And more… new experiences announced periodically!

VIP Event Access:

• Exclusive game launch parties
• Line-cutting at major events such as Comic-con and others

Press Release

CAPCOM^® ANNOUNCES THE CAPCOM UNITY VISA^® PREPAID CARD

Capcom Presents the Game Industry’s First Branded Visa Card With Trendsetting “Experiential” Rewards Program

Capcom® Entertainment, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced a game industry trendsetting program to allow Capcom community members to show their fan spirit with a unique Capcom Unity Visa® prepaid card. Capcom is the first video game company in North America to offer a co-branded Visa rewards card program specifically designed for gamers. The Capcom Unity Visa card program is now available for immediate online enrollment at http://www.capcom-unity-card.com.

This is not a credit card, but an innovative user-funded prepaid card that works anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted, earning a precedent-setting series of cash back, points on Capcom’s community website Capcom-Unity.com, accelerated rewards from select retail and merchandise partners, discounts and exclusive access. Most importantly, Capcom’s enthusiastic fan base will be able to pay for dinner, get money from an ATM or buy games with a Visa card featuring some of the most recognizable video game characters on the planet, from games such as Street Fighter® IV and Resident Evil® 5.

“The Capcom Unity Visa is a truly unique program, a first in the video game industry” said Mark Beaumont, chief operating officer and head of Capcom consumer software publishing in the Americas and Europe. “Not only are we connecting our consumers with their favorite brands in an innovative way, but we’re also giving them an expansive rewards program that will let them participate in the Capcom community at a greater level.”

The Capcom Unity Visa prepaid card represents a true fiscal alternative for Capcom fans, allowing them to pick from several Capcom-themed prepaid card designs – including initial designs featuring art and images from Resident Evil 5, Street Fighter IV and Bionic Commando®, with more designs to be offered regularly in the future – and control how much money is available on their prepaid card through easy and efficient online account access. Since this is not a credit card, almost everyone in North America over the age of 13 can qualify, with absolutely no impact to their credit history. Purchases are protected by Visa’s Zero Liability Policy , and funds deposited on the card are fully FDIC-insured.

The card is issued by Prepaid Solutions USA, a service of West Suburban Bank in the western suburbs of Chicago. “Working together, Capcom and West Suburban Bank have been able to create a truly innovative loyalty program that combines cash back and online rewards with experiential rewards that go far beyond the norm”, said Daniel P. Grotto, President of Prepaid Solutions USA at West Suburban Bank. “We very are excited to be a part of the launch of the Capcom Unity Visa card program. It will provide a safe and easy way for cardholders to pay for purchases wherever Visa is accepted. ”

Unity members can go to any of thousands of Visa ReadyLink locations, transfer money online from their bank accounts directly to their Capcom Unity Visa card, set up regular transfers from their accounts or even establish direct deposit from their employers. The Capcom Unity Visa card can be used to pay bills electronically, as well as instantly pay other Capcom Unity Visa card holders. The Capcom Unity Visa card allows Capcom fans the freedom to access their cash where and when they need it, protecting themselves from bank overdraft fees while allowing them to pay with the card anywhere that Visa is accepted There are no paper statements generated or checks to be printed or paper check registers; users can choose to receive updates and alerts via email or text messages and all transactions are digitally recorded for the cardholder automatically, and can be viewed online.

The Capcom Unity Visa card will reward cardholders in three different ways: earning points on Capcom-Unity.com, earning cash back from online or signature-based purchases and earning accelerated rewards through the online “Capcom rewards mall.” For every dollar cardholders deposit on the Capcom Unity Visa card they will earn 5 Capcom Unity points which can be used in a number of different ways on the community website, including the new Auctions and Raffle features. Capcom Unity Visa cardholders will also earn one-half percent of cash back from all signature purchases – the cardholder then has the option to either redeposit the cash onto the card for additional use or purchase discounted gift cards from retail partners at the online rewards mall. Those same purchases will also qualify for accelerated rewards ranging from 0.5% to 20% from over 750 retailers, including iTunes®, BestBuy.com®, Target.com® and many more.

Capcom is developing a larger suite of rewards for Capcom Unity card holders above and beyond the standard incentives. Not only will Unity members be earning points on Capcom Unity with every purchase, but Unity card holders will find a new level of access to all things Capcom opening to them. Unity card holders may be able to “jump the line” at Capcom events or gatherings, gain access to Beta tests for new Capcom or other “experiential” rewards that extend beyond the online space, such as being written into a Capcom game or comic book or possibly even being an extra in a Capcom movie. Using the Capcom Unity Visa at Capcom’s own e-store will also save players 15% on their purchase, which means real savings on the games they were planning on buying.

For more information about the Capcom Unity Visa prepaid card program, visit http://www.capcom-unity-card.com