Citibank Becomes First Bank In CEMEA Region To Launch Visa Signature Premium Credit Card

True to its vision for innovation and client excellence, Citibank, a member of Citi, will be the first bank in Central Europe Middle East and Africa region to partner with Visa on the launch of Visa Signature on its award-winning PremierMiles credit platform.

The new PremierMiles Visa Signature credit card is being launched as the bank continues to enhance its portfolio of premium Visa products to customers in the UAE offering an extensive array of exclusive travel and entertainment benefits and privileges.

“Citi is proud to be a pioneer in the financial services sector in the country and continuously introducing new and innovative payment products for our customers,” said Dinesh Sharma, Consumer Banking Head for Middle East & North Africa (MENA).

“We have been working closely with Visa on the introduction of the new product and are confident that we will see an excellent response from our growing customer base as the exciting privileges of PremierMiles perfectly compliment the unique benefits of Visa Signature,” Dinesh added.

PremierMiles Visa Signature cardmembers will enjoy complete peace of mind while traveling with unlimited free access to more than 30 major airport VIP lounges worldwide and extensive travel insurance coverage.

They will also benefit from the dedicated 24/7 Visa Signature Concierge service, in addition to a wide range of other Visa premium privileges including exclusive fine dining offers in the UAE.

“We are delighted that Citibank with which we have an established and long-standing relationship became the first bank to introduce Visa Signature credit card in our region, said Marcello Baricordi, General Manager for Visa in the UAE.

He added, “Visa Signature is a critical component of Visa’s Premium Product line strategy. The product is well defined for the core affluent segment in our region. It is truly an innovative product with great rewards and travel benefits providing a seamless travel experience. As Innovation is embedded deeply in our business initiatives, we are very pleased to offer superior products and value to our clients.”

All the exciting Visa Signature privileges rest on top of the core value that PremierMiles provides to its card members. Voted as the best premium Credit Card in the Middle East (Smart Cards 2011), PremierMiles differentiates itself from the existing mileage programmes in the market through its well-rounded Citi Miles programme whereby members can:

•Redeem miles for free flights across 300+ airlines and free hotel stays worldwide.

•Enjoy like-for-like (1:1) or better conversion rate with globally renowned participating partners such as British Airways, Qatar Airways, Jet Airways, Singapore Airlines, Hilton and more.

•Shop for exciting travel and leisure rewards, such as duty free vouchers, movie tickets and much more, through an extensive rewards catalog.

•Gift miles to their loved ones.

PremierMiles Visa Signature is also packed with other complimenting travel and entertainment including up to 22% discount on air tickets, up to 75% discount on hotels, 20% discount on yacht hire, 15% discount on car rental, complimentary tee time at premium golf courses in the UAE in addition to other golfing privileges, premium hotel and car rental loyalty privileges, purchase protection, medical and legal referral, extended warranty, and much more.

“At Citibank, we value our strategic alliance with Visa,” said Faraaz Ali, Cards Head, Citibank Middle East & North Africa. “We remain fully committed to this alliance and aim to leverage it further to provide maximum value to our customers,” he added.

Citi has been in the Middle East for over 50 years and currently offers consumer-banking services in the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt. In the UAE alone, Citibank, the consumer banking arm of Citi, has had a presence for the past 48 years and is expanding its major operations within the country.

The bank is currently a major player in the UAE’s credit card market and a leading provider of banking, Wealth Management and Consumer credit services.

Citi Cards is part of Citi, the leading global financial services company, and the world’s largest credit card issuer with more than 200 million cards in issue in more than 50 countries worldwide. Citi is a global leader in partnership credit cards, with leading airlines, retail, telecoms, oil and gas companies as key partners around the world.

Ameinfo