Amex Gets Smart at E-Shopping.

American Express has introduced a new credit card, called Blue, with features that it says makes shopping over the Internet more secure. The Blue card, which debuted Wednesday, has the traditional magnetic stripe for shopping in stores, but also contains a smart chip that will hold personal information like shipping addresses and account data that a cardholder can give online merchants in a secure manner. Starting in November, Blue card holders will be able to enter relevant personal purchasing information -- the sort demanded by Internet stores -- into a new program called American Express Online Wallet. A customer wanting to make an online purchase opens the electronic wallet with the help of a smartcard reader to automatically fill out the merchant_s purchase form, the company said. The smartcard reader would connect to the cardmember_s computer, and would read the unique digital code on the card to allow the card holder to unlock his "wallet" of personal purchasing information, American Express said. The card would have an introductory zero percent interest rate for the first six months and an ongoing fixed rate as low as 9.99 percent for revolving balances if the customer has good credit, the company said. There is no annual fee for the Blue card. At the Web site, customers can pay bills online, download personal financial information, and use online financial tools to calculate cash flow and retirement goals, American Express said.