StarMart Is a Retail Chain with More Than 120 Stores

StarMart is a retail chain with more than 120 stores spread across the country. The company is keen to enter into a co-branding agreement with Axiom Financial Services. Under this agreement, StarMart's customers will be provided with an Axiom-Star credit card entitling them to reward points every time they swipe their credit cards at StarMart. Cardholders will be able to redeem points for special discounts, free merchandise, and exclusive services. StarMart is planning on a targeted direct marketing campaign using StarMart's knowledge of consumer buying patterns and Axiom's access to financial information. A senior manager argues that the negative perception associated with mounting credit card debt will affect StarMart. Which of the following would be the most effective measure StarMart could take to address this potential problem?

A) Offering to forgive all debt more than 90 days old
B) Making it clear that StarMart is a different entity than Axiom-Star
C) Pointing out the records and practices of the worst-behaved credit companies
D) Extending the expiration date of StarMart reward points
E) Extending credit only to those who are very likely to be able to pay their bills