Etihad Guest, the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, and SBI Card, one of India’s largest credit card issuers, have launched a unique travel-specific Visa credit card for members and the Indian community in the UAE.
The card, which will be available in two variants - Etihad Guest SBI Card and Etihad Guest SBI Premier Card - will offer more rewarding experiences and bring an unmatched value proposition to Etihad Guest members and international travellers from India.
The partnership was launched at an exclusive evening at Hotel Taj Palace in New Delhi, India, hosted by frequent traveller and Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and attended by leading socialites and world travellers, business leaders and travel and lifestyle media.
India is a key strategic market for Etihad Airways, currently offering 147 weekly flights across 10 gateway cities in the country. The airline provides Indian travellers greater choice, more convenience and increased connectivity via its home, Abu Dhabi. Iata’s 2018 India Aviation report shows about 41 per cent of India’s direct international connectivity is to the Middle East, with much of it directly to the UAE.
The Etihad Guest SBI Card and Etihad Guest SBI Premier Card offer complimentary Etihad Guest Silver Tier Status along with 2,500 Etihad Guest Miles, and Gold Tier Status with 5,000 Etihad Guest Miles respectively, upon first card swipe so cardholders can start collecting rewards straight away.
The new co-brand cards offer an accelerated rewards programme which allows guests to earn up to six Etihad Guest Miles per INR100 ($1.4) spent on Etihad.com. Cardholders also earn up to four Etihad Guest Miles on every INR100 of international spends and up to two Etihad Guest Miles on every INR100 of domestic spends. In addition, guests earn two Tier Miles per INR100 spent on all transactions. Etihad Guest Miles can be redeemed to travel to destinations worldwide with Etihad Airways and over 20 partner airlines. Members can also choose to use their Etihad Guest Miles to stay at over 300,000 hotels worldwide rent the best of car hire brands with Travel Rewards or purchase thousands of products at the Etihad Guest Reward Shop.
Additional benefits include additional excess baggage allowance of 10kgs and 15kgs respectively and priority boarding, 3-10 per cent discount on direct Etihad Airways bookings as well as the new Guest +1 voucher, allowing cardholders to take a companion along with them on a reward flight in any cabin or destination.
Etihad Airways vice president commercial partnerships, Yasser Al Yousuf, said: “India is a key strategic market for Etihad Airways and with some many Indian nationals living in the UAE, we are delighted to launch our first India-specific credit card with one of the country’s most revered institutions, SBI Card. This card enables members to earn Etihad Guest Miles every time they spend, empowering them to make choices about how they collect and spend their miles. With increased travel from our guests to US, we believe this card also strengthens our existing travel benefits including US pre-clearance.” - TradeArabia News Service
Etihad Guest, SBI launch co-branded Visa card
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