- Two-month promotion gave Lebanese travellers a chance to enter a draw to win one of two 2016 MINI Coopers for every USD$100 spent abroad on a Visa card
- Cross-border Visa card spends, both at the point-of-sale (POS) and ATM withdrawals, sees 18% YoY growth for period of April 2015-May 2015 versus same period the previous year
- Visa’s ‘Take off and land a MINI’ campaign sought to raise awareness on the safety, security and convenience of choosing electronic payments while traveling
Beirut, Lebanon: 16 July, 2015 – Visa, a global payments technology company, has announced the winner of its cross border campaign, ‘Take off and land a MINI’ that ran from 1st April till 31st May 2015.
James Abi Nahed, a Visa cardholder with Credit Libanais, and Antoine Aziz, a Visa cardholder with Banque Libano Francaise won the draw, making them the proud owners of a 2016 MINI. The cars were handed over to the winners at a special ceremony in Beirut. ‘Take off and land a MINI’, launched by Visa to promote cashless travel among consumers in Lebanon, gave travellers a chance to enter a draw to win the cars for every USD$100 spent abroad using a Visa debit, credit or prepaid card issued by all partner banks in Lebanon.
The campaign was created to encourage card usage for overseas purchases in Lebanon, with cross-border spending accounting for 37% of the total volume of payments made on Visa cards in 2014. During the two-month campaign period, from April to May 2015, cross-border Visa card spends both at the point-of-sale (POS) and ATM withdrawals rose by 18% in from April to May 2015 compared to the same period last year. This demonstrates a strong appetite for efficient payment platforms in the market.
Nabil Tabbara, General Manager for the Levant Region at Visa, said: “Travel is getting more and more popular in Lebanon, even if it is to nearby countries in the region. However, low levels of awareness on the benefits of electronic payments are prompting consumers to limit their card usage to local purchases. By going cashless while traveling, consumers can save themselves from issues with currency exchange rates, finding an ATM and the worry of personal safety when carrying large amounts of cash. What’s more, Visa cardholders can also benefit from a wide range of travel-focused discounts and offers, making the experience much more rewarding.
“We are delighted to see the positive results from the ‘Take off and land a MINI’ campaign, and congratulate the winners and everyone else who chose Visa as their preferred currency while travelling. The double-digit growth in Visa card spends compared to the same period last year, is a testament to the success of our initiatives to enable the ‘electronification’ of payments in Lebanon.”
Apart from its widespread acceptance, Visa cardholders can also take advantage of Visa’s travel-specific benefits available on the Visa Platinum, Signature and Infinite cards. While these may differ for every card issuer, the advantages range from earning airline miles, to having airport lounge access and discounts at hotels, restaurants and other retailers across the globe. In addition, Visa cardholders can download for free the Visa Explore mobile app that will serve as a single access point for all Visa offers and privileges, including dining, shopping and entertainment promotions.
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About Visa Inc.
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments. We operate one of the world's most advanced processing networks — VisaNet — that is capable of handling more than 56,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, pay ahead of time with prepaid or pay later with credit products. For more information, visit www.visamiddleeast.com