A Formidable Coalition
Mastercard, Emirates NBD Group, and Expo 2020 Dubai are introducing exclusive card programs to power the Expo experience.
As Expo 2020 Dubai gets underway, empowering visitors with fast, safe, and seamless payment options will be essential to delivering a customer experience like no other. Rising to the challenge, Premier Partner and the Official Banking Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, Emirates NBD Group, has joined hands with Mastercard, the event’s Official Payment Technology Partner, to create two exclusive new card programs: Emirates NBD Expo Mastercard Prepaid Card and the Emirates Islamic Expo Mastercard Credit Card.
For Khalid Elgibali, Mastercard’s Division President for MENA, the new card programs open up a new world of possibilities for visitors to the long-awaited event. “The world’s biggest cultural gathering calls for world-class payment solutions,” says Elgibali, “We are delighted to bring innovative offerings to consumers from across the globe, and to connect cardholders to priceless experiences.”
Indeed, with Emirates NBD Group a leading banking group in the MENAT region, and Mastercard a global technology company in the payment industry, the new card programs promise to deliver quality and innovation on every level. The limited-edition cards are designed to enhance the Expo 2020 Dubai experience for residents and visitors from across the globe, elevating their time spent in the U.A.E. with memorable and priceless possibilities to discover year-round. Both cards are underpinned by Mastercard’s secure technology and will be equipped with contactless capabilities for touch-free and seamless transactions.
Emirates NBD Expo Mastercard Prepaid Card
The Emirates NBD Expo Mastercard Prepaid Card is a digital-first offering, issued via dedicated mobile app, Joyn, from Emirates NBD. The product is available to both U.A.E. residents and international visitors for use while in the U.A.E. and provides a fully digital payment experience. The benefits will comprise of a curated selection of offers from Emirates NBD’s Bon
Appétit, LiveWell, and Good Times programs, as well as offers from Mastercard’s Priceless platform, creating a rewarding experience that opens unrivalled opportunities across the U.A.E.
With 25 million visits expected at Expo 2020 Dubai, the Emirates NBD Expo Mastercard Prepaid Card will power Expo and the wider U.A.E. experience for tourists and residents alike. Through the new prepaid card, consumers will gain exclusive access to privileges, deals, and discounts of up to 50% at more than 2,000 shopping, dining, wellness, and entertainment touchpoints, as well as access to exclusive Expo-related offers. The reloadable card will provide an enhanced and personalized customer experience, while also enabling international visitors to spend in the local U.A.E. currency.
Alongside an array of attractive benefits, the Emirates NBD Expo Mastercard Prepaid Card delivers a smooth and seamless experience. Cardholders will be able to use the card to make online purchases as well as contactless in-store payments by adding their card to their preferred digital wallet—Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. They will also have the option to receive a linked physical card if needed.
Suvo Sarkar, Senior Executive Vice President and Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management at Emirates NBD, is excited about the card’s potential. “In addition to delivering a fast, intuitive, reliable and seamless payment process, the Emirates NBD Expo Mastercard Prepaid Card empowers cardholders to try new and exciting offerings,” he says, “That makes it a quintessential card to enjoy all that this first-of-its-kind event in our region has to offer.”
Emirates Islamic Expo Mastercard Credit Card
As part of the Emirates NBD Group, Emirates Islamic also has an exciting role to play. As the Official Islamic Banking Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, the bank has partnered with Mastercard to unveil a co-branded Mastercard World Credit Card that rewards U.A.E. residents with exclusive privileges during the global event. The card is not just exclusive and limited-edition, it is free for life.
The Emirates Islamic Expo Mastercard Credit Card offers exceptional value with a wide range of benefits across key Expo partners. Cardholders can earn Emirates Islamic SmartMiles as they spend, gain U By Emaar Gold Tier status, enjoy 50% cashback on their first Expo 2020 Dubai ticket transaction, and access many of the exclusive travel, hotel, and lifestyle privileges offered by Mastercard. Other benefits include 10% cashback on fuel, complimentary valet parking service at the Expo 2020 Dubai site, complimentary golf sessions, exclusive dining offers, and access to more than 1,000 airport lounges worldwide. What’s more, customers can enjoy the flexibility to instantly redeem their Emirates Islamic SmartMiles for flights, hotels, and retail transactions anywhere in the world —or exchange them with multiple partner loyalty programs.
Additionally, to celebrate the launch, customers can earn statement credit and Upoints as a welcome bonus when they apply for the card, and members will be able to add their credit cards to mobile wallets, enabling secure payments on the go.
“We are proud to offer U.A.E. residents a limited-edition Expo 2020 Credit Card that not only brings them exceptional value but also pays tribute to this exciting and memorable event in our nation’s history,” says Wasim Saifi, Deputy CEO—Consumer Banking and Wealth Management, Emirates Islamic.
Mukhtar Safi, Deputy CEO and CFO at Expo 2020 Dubai, is equally enthused about the potential of the new card programs. “Our global celebration is all about innovation, collaboration, and inspiration, so we are delighted that through our partnerships with Emirates NBD Group and Mastercard, more Expo 2020 visitors will be encouraged to try new and exciting curated offerings—seamlessly,” says Safi.
Combined, the formidable strengths of Mastercard, Emirates NBD, and Expo 2020 Dubai, promise to take payment solutions and customer experience to a whole new level as the muchanticipated event opens its doors to the world.
“We are delighted to bring innovative offerings to consumers from across the globe, and to connect cardholders to priceless experiences.”
The drive to change the way we snack and drink goes beyond the PepsiCo product portfolio and is channeled into the very future of retail. Using the power of the Expo 2020 Dubai platform to forge strong partnerships with technology and payment entities, PepsiCo has partnered with Mastercard to develop real-world solutions to meet the growing consumer demand for more autonomy and digital shopping experiences. The result of this collaboration is the Pepsi Go unattended store, an AI-powered, unmanned store that will first open its doors at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Pepsi Go will allow visitors to experience the future of unmanned stores and seamless, invisible, checkouts. In partnership with Mastercard, the Pepsi Go experience was designed around shoppers’ needs and brought to life using industryleading technologies. Customers start their journey by tapping, inserting, or swiping a valid payment card to open the kiosk’s doors. Once inside, the store uses AI and computer recognition technology to track the PepsiCo snacks and beverages shoppers select. To check out, customers simply exit the gates and the Mastercard Payment Gateway Services technology automatically initiates the payment, making checkout queues a thing of the past. The experience is designed to be secure, contactless, and seamless.
Over the last 18 months, the world has seen the acceleration of digital payments, driven by realities of the pandemic, coupled with a consumer demand for more autonomy and more digital shopping experiences. Pepsi Go not only responds to this demand but it also offers a more efficient and seamless journey.
For Gaurang Shah, Mastercard’s Senior Vice President of Product Management, Digital Payments, and Labs for the Middle East and Africa, Pepsi Go is an exciting development, and forms a part of Mastercard’s wider campaign to innovate the retail payment space. “As the Official Payment Technology Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, we are excited to showcase the future of retail payments at the Pepsi Go store,” says Shah.
Like all the best innovations, Pepsi Go is the result of intensive research and development efforts, that were years in the making. “For over two years, we have been developing this first-of-its-kind checkout experience for the region alongside our strategic partner PepsiCo, and we are thrilled to see it come to life for Expo 2020 Dubai,” explains Mastercard’s senior VP. “The gold standard of retail shopping is here, and we welcome visitors to experience this innovation and Start Something Priceless at Expo 2020 Dubai.”
“For over two years, we have been developing this firstof-its-kind checkout experience for the region alongside our strategic partners PepsiCo.”