OREANDA-NEWS. May 17, 2012. Industrial Bank (IB) and China Southern Airlines Co., Ltd. (CSA) jointly held a press release at Guangzhou, announcing to release “IB and CSA Sky Pearl Credit Card” in collaboration. Not only is this product a crystallized work of IB and CSA in strategic cooperation by complementing each other with respective advantages, but also a fine product among high-end co-branded credit card for business travel at home. Boasting competitive air mile accumulation program and all-round premium service system regarding credit card rights and benefits, it will exert a powerful market rallying influence among the group of medium- and high-end business travelers, reported the press-centre of Industrial Bank. 

It is reported that IB & CSA credit card series consists of four products at different levels: Platinum Card (Standard), Platinum Card (E lite), Gold Card and Common Card, meeting the business travel and consumption demands of various business travelers in an all-round way. Take the Platinum Card (Standard) as an example, IB adheres to the service concept of “high returns and high added values” that it has always upheld. With many value-added core rights and benefits concerning air business travel embedded in product design, the credit card brings substantial advantages to customers.

First, in the aspect of point and air mile accumulation program, the product specifies that each 8 credit card points can be used to exchange 1km Sky Pearl air travel of CSA, and it is very competitive among similar products. Second, from now on till December 31, 2012, if the card-swiping consumption reaches RMB 2,000 within 60 days after the card is checked, 16,000km Sky Pearl air travel of CSA will be presented, and it is equivalent to two free one-way air tickets for economy class from Shanghai to Beijing and Shanghai to Qingdao respectively. Moreover, the standard Platinum Card also provides the cardholder with diversified and premium business travel value-added services, making a travel free of worries in the whole process.

For instance, the cardholder may enjoy such preferential services as limitless airport VIP reception both at home and abroad, insurance for public transport vehicle accident and happy travel insurance up to RMB 10 million, eight free limousine pickups from /to the airport a year, and one-day free-of-rent car lease (for any car model available). In addition, a new CSA member applying for the co-branded card may enjoy an additional 500km Sky Pearl air travel of CSA, and surprise gift for purchasing the air ticket for designated seat of CSA at a discount not less than 40%, with an additional 200km Sky Pearl air travel of CSA for each time.

In recent years, the credit card operation by commercial banks gradually transformed from “rushing to occupy market shares” to “tailoring to specific groups”. Facing the new business opportunities emerging among the vigorous development in the field of air business travel, it becomes a highlight in innovation of credit card product that the issuers and airlines jointly issue co-branded credit cards at high frequency, and air business travelers are also becom ing an important customer group for issuers. Adhering to the aim of providing excellent services to customers with “high value, high net worth, and great growth”, IB issued credit cards collaboratively with Xiamen Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, etc. in succession.

Now, the bank collaborates with CSA, one of the biggest three backbone aviation groups, to further exert the effect of brand superposition of finance and civil aviation, share network, services and premium customer resources, provide one-stop professional services, value-added returns and VIP experience to customers, and improve the competitive edge of IB in the field of credit card in the banking industry actively.

At the press release, the executives of the two companies both expressed their high confidence in the future market expectation of the co-branded credit card and reached an important consensus to further deepen the strategic partnership between the two sides.