CARDS PLAY A STARRING ROLE IN MOVIE TICKET PURCHASES.(Brief Article)

The Internet has turned card purchases of movie tickets into a box office hit this summer, Visa USA says. In June, consumers used their Visa credit and debit cards to purchase $114 million of movie tickets. This is up 36% from the same three-month period last year. And in July, consumers used their Visa cards to purchase $128 million in tickets, a 49% increase from July 2002. The increases have occurred despite a 3.3% drop in the total number of movie tickets sold so far this summer, Visa says. The San Francisco-based association credits the rise in card sales to consumers buying tickets over the phone and on the Internet before going to …