According to the Mastercard Economics Institute1, if flight booking trends continue at the current pace, an estimated 1.5 billion more passengers globally will fly in 2022 compared to last year — and tourists are spending 34% more on experiences than before the pandemic. For the first time since the pandemic, business flight bookings have exceeded 2019 levels, a key milestone in the recovery.1
Throughout 2021, traveling by car was the preferred mode of transportation but now buses, cruises and trains are seeing an uptick in bookings.
To support a smooth return, „Mastercard expanded its Mastercard Travel & Lifestyle Services platform with new partnerships that focus on seamless travel experiences and priceless moments for cardholders, including WhatsApp servicing, Covid alerts and perks like lounge access when flights are delayed,” according to the press release.
For service at the tap of a button, the program now offers WhatsApp servicing – currently available in several geographies2 around the world and globally by year’s end – where members can message Lifestyle Managers about travel and concierge requests from their phone.
Mastercard has forged a number of new partnerships to offer benefits that alleviate travel stress and support more enjoyable journeys. They include:
Convenience: For delayed flights or relaxing in peace, cardholders have access to a global network of over 1,100 airport lounges. Recent expansions include Mastercard Flight Delay Pass, now available in geographies worldwide3 for complimentary lounge access on qualifying delayed flights. Also newly launched is FastTrack in Europe to beat the queue and Mastercard Travel Pass in Canada for a hassle-free airport experience.
Connection: Launched first in Asia Pacific and to other regions within the year, select cardholders now have access to complimentary global roaming data packs for use in more than 200 destinations, with a 15% Mastercard discount on top-ups through Flexiroam.
Care: Cardholders can opt-in to receive real-time notifications and the latest in COVID restrictions and requirements including testing locations and pricing through Sitata.
Comfort: Accessible anytime, anywhere, the new mycardbenefits.com4 is a digital insurance platform for Mastercard cardholders to immediately see – and seamlessly process – claims for the insurances included on their card — such as car rental, lost luggage replacement, cell phone and trip cancellation.
Cash Rewards: Shop and receive cash rewards with Mastercard Travel Rewards at hundreds of marquee merchants in 19 destinations and thousands of online offers for unique savings5.
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1 Findings based on Travel 2022: Trends and Transitions report, which draws on aggregated & anonymized sales activity in the Mastercard network and a unique analysis of publicly available travel data.
2 Available for issuer implementation in North America, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, and markets in Latin America.
3 Now available in the U.S., Latin America, Caribbean and across issuers in Europe and Asia-Pacific.
4 Hyperlink accessible for cardholders in North America now and additional geographies will be live later this year.
5 Please refer to Eligible Issuer Card for Program Terms & Conditions.
Banking 4.0 – „how was the experience for you”
„So many people are coming here to Bucharest, people that I see and interact on linkedin and now I get the change to meet them in person. It was like being to the Football World Cup but this was the World Cup on linkedin in payments and open banking.”
Many more interesting quotes in the video below:
