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Mesa shuts down credit card that rewarded cardholders for paying their mortgages

Fintech startup Mesa has shut down its Homeowners Card, which awarded points to cardholders for paying their mortgages.

A message on the Mesa website states that as of December 12, “all Mesa Homeowners Card accounts are closed,” adding, “All credit cards have been deactivated and you are no longer able to make any new purchases or earn Mesa Points.”

A Mesa FAQ about the shutdown described this as “a business decision to close the Mesa Homeowners Card Program entirely.” TechCrunch has reached out to Mesa for additional comment on its future plans.

The startup launched just over a year ago, in November 2024, with $9.2 million in funding ($7.2 million in equity funding and $2 million in debt). It offered two products — mortgage loans with 1% cash back, as well as the credit card with rewards including cash back, travel, and offset mortgage payments.

At the time, CEO Kelley Halpin told TechCrunch that the startup had “taken what everybody loves about travel and dining cards to re-contextualize that for the homeowner/parent.”

In theory, you could earn points for home expenses by using any credit card with rewards, but Mesa said it structured its points program to incentivize spending related to home ownership.

“So it’s not rewarding you on travel and dining spend; it’s rewarding you on gas, groceries, your HOA, utilities, home goods as well as your mortgage payment,” Halpin said.

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Bilt, which has a rewards card that allows customers to earn points on rent payments, says it will expand with points for mortgage payments when it launches a revamped card next year.

Mesa’s card shutdown has been covered by travel deals websites like One Mile at a Time and Upgraded Points, which say that Mesa cardmembers have been complaining about declined transactions for the past week, with the company initially claiming this was only a temporary outage.

Now, it seems the only remaining way to redeem points earned on the Mesa card is through a statement credit at a rate of 0.6%.

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DoorDash driver faces felony charges after allegedly spraying customers’ food

A woman is facing felony charges in Evansville, Indiana over a DoorDash delivery in which she allegedly sprayed the food with a substance that made the customers vomit.

In a press release, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office said that it was contacted on December 7 by a man who said that he and his wife vomited and experienced a burning sensation in their mouth, nose, throat, and stomachs after eating fast food ordered through DoorDash.

The man told NBC News that he noticed something red had been sprayed on the delivery bag, so he checked footage from their doorbell camera. According to the sheriff’s department, the footage shows that after dropping off the food and taking a photo, the woman appeared to spray a substance towards the food from a small aerosol can attached to her keychain.

The sheriff’s department said that using DoorDash records, detectives identified the woman as Kourtney Stevenson of Kentucky, who told local police in a phone call that she had been working for DoorDash while visiting her father, and that she’d used pepper spray to spray a spider. But the department also said that with an overnight low of 35 degrees Fahrenheit, “outdoor spiders in Indiana are not active and would not be capable of crawling on exposed surfaces.”

When Stevenson allegedly declined to come in for an interview, detectives obtained a warrant to arrest her for battery resulting in a moderate injury and consumer product tampering. She is now awaiting extradition to Indiana.

A DoorDash spokesperson said in a statement that Stevenson has been banned from the platform.

“We have absolutely zero tolerance for this type of appalling behavior,” the spokesperson said. “The Dasher’s access to the platform has been permanently removed, and our team is supporting law enforcement with their investigation.”

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The New York Times and NBC News both report that it’s not clear if Stevenson has a lawyer who can comment on her behalf.

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On Me raises $6M to shake up the gift card industry

On Me, a digital gift card startup founded by former Google employees, is aiming to redefine the gift card industry with its mobile-first gifting platform that lets users purchase digital gift cards categorized by interests rather than being restricted to specific retailers.

The company on Thursday said it had raised $6 million in a seed funding round, which it will use to expand its gift categories to include things like horseback riding lessons, wine tastings, and theme park trips.

Image Credits:On Me

On Me touts its flexibility. So if you have a friend who is passionate about tennis, you can send them a digital card that lets them shop for outfits and gear from popular brands like Wilson, On, Prince, and more.

The platform offers gift cards across 72 categories that range from running and reading to camping, gardening, gaming, and concerts.

You can also attach video messages, photos, and GIFs to gift cards, which is a nice touch as it lets you add a layer of personalization. You can use On Me via its website as well as iOS and Android apps.

Image Credits:On Me

The startup’s CEO and co-founder Darragh Meaney pointed out the environmental issues with the traditional gift card industry, which rely heavily on plastic. 

The International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA) reports that approximately 30 billion plastic cards are manufactured globally each year, and that over 70% of gift cards are discarded within six months, resulting in an estimated 53 million tons of plastic waste.

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“It is an environmentally wasteful practice that feels totally disconnected from how we live today,” Meaney said.

On Me’s digital cards also integrate with Apple Pay and Google Wallet.

Image Credits:On Me

With the global gift card market projected to reach $2.3 trillion by 2030, On Me believes it is well-positioned for growth. Since its launch, the company says it has facilitated over $2.5 million in gifts for more than 26,000 users, and has grown 50% every month. 

The seed round was led by NFX, with participation from Lerer Hippeau and Focal.

The funding comes a year after the company launched its platform and raised $1.7 million in a pre-seed round. 

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