Prepaid Visa added to Etihad's loyalty cards
Etihad Guest, the multi-airline loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, has partnered with Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) and payments processing company Rev Worldwide to add 'WalletPlus' - a reloadable multi-currency prepaid Visa account - to its frequent flyer membership card.
The new prepaid Visa feature allows lets travellers earn Etihad Guest Miles as they shop at Visa merchants worldwide, with the ability to choose from 11 currency options to effectively lock in exchange rates before travelling to other countries.
Etihad Guest Tier members in the UAE will begin receiving their new Etihad Guest card with walletplus in March 2015, and roll-out of cards to Etihad Guest members in other countries taking place in the future.
Etihad Guest loyalty programme members enjoy industry recognised benefits such as reward miles on every flight, lounge access, extra baggage allowance, guaranteed seating options, priority check-in/boarding, and more. Members continue to earn and redeem miles with Etihad Airways partner airlines, as well as with over 150 non-airline partners.
The new WalletPlus feature adds the following member benefits to the award-winning Etihad Guest loyalty card programme:
- Earn 1 Etihad Guest Mile for every US$2 spent in the UAE and 1 Etihad Guest Mile per US$1 whilst abroad;
- Powered by Visa, the Etihad Guest card with WalletPlus can be used at tens of millions of global merchants, including more than 2.1 million ATMs;
- Members can lock in the exchange rate when they transfer funds to a foreign currency wallet so they know how much they can spend;
- Members can load money onto their card and convert those funds into 11 popular international currencies;
- Members can use a dedicated WalletPlus mobile app to manage their account on the go;
- Unlike cash, if the card is lost or stolen, funds can be put on hold and a new card replacement card obtained. The card also features Chip-and-PIN security.
"The revised Etihad Guest loyalty programme focuses on providing features and benefits that enhance the value for members, and the new card with WalletPlus combines the a reloadable payment card with the benefits of Etihad Guest membership," explained Yasser Al Yousuf, managing director for Etihad Guest.
Etihad Guest partnered with Rev to develop the product and handle programme management of the programme, utilizing Rev's proprietary prepaid multi-currency processing platform and global experience pioneering similar products. The new WalletPlus prepaid Visa card is issued in collaboration with ADIB, the programme bank partner where funds are kept for each account and managed.
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