If you were looking for signs that the financial world was coming to an end, it would be things like this that would give you pause. I guess I should have seen it coming - credit card companies have been using characters to get people to apply for their credit cards for some time now, so why not get celebrities to do the same thing? That is exactly what Carmen Electra is doing with her new Carmen Electra Prepaid MasterCard

Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. In the next few years I predict you will see credit cards available for virtually every Hollywood and music star out there that has a large fan base. I assume that each celebrity will promote theirs using exclusive promotions only available to the celebrity credit card holders. That will undoubtedly attract their fans to apply for them just as the CarmenCard is doing:

It’s unique - No other card gives you the opportunity to win prizes like cash, Carmen Electra-autographed merchandise and invitations to exclusive Carmen Electra cardmember events.

While these are sure to appeal to fans, they certainly come with a hefty price. That $4 a month maintenance fee means that you are paying nearly $50 a year to keep Carmen in your wallet not to mention the other fees that come with the card:

With all of this information and costs associated with these cards, they are bound to be a hit (my cynical side comes out). Me? I’ll stick with my reward card with no annual fee that pays me for every purchase instead of the other way around…