Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Etihad Guest, the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, and the Saudi-headquartered Arab National Bank (ANB) have partnered to launch an ANB Etihad Guest Signature Visa Card in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Yasser Al Yousuf, Vice President Commercial Partnerships, Etihad
Airways said: “At Etihad Guest, we make every effort to cooperate with
prestigious companies to offer a pioneering travel experience. Our clients in the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia are now able to get rewards, privileges and exclusive offers using the
ANB Etihad Guest Signature card. Etihad Airways has 84 weekly flights from
different airports around the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Guests flying from the
kingdom to the US can clear all immigration and customs inspections before they
board their flight at the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
facility.”
Asad Alsada, Head of Consumer Banking services at ANB, said that
“the new card is the result of joint efforts and close cooperation with our
partners with the aim of offering an innovative credit card that has various
advantages.” He added that “this step reflects the bank's ongoing commitment to
offer excellent services that meet client expectations."
Ali Bayloun, Visa’s General Manager in Saudi Arabia, said, "We
are pleased with our cooperation with the Arab National Bank and the Etihad
Guest programme to launch the joint Visa Signature card, which offers a broad
range of benefits to travellers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." The card has a design that aims to
enrich the travel experiences of clients through special rewards that they can
earn on travel and spending. Card holders will have the opportunity to benefit from worldwide
acceptance of Visa at more than 46 million commercial outlets around the world,
and peace of mind thanks to the better levels of protection and safety offered by Visa technology on
payments and its broad global network."
ANB Etihad Guest Signature Visa card holders will receive an annual
fee waiver for the first year and additional benefits including a welcome bonus
of 17,000 Etihad Guest Miles. Members will earn 2 Etihad Guest miles for every
SAR 15 spent on domestic purchases and 4 Guest Miles for every SAR 20 spent on
international purchases. Successful applicants will receive fast track entry to
Etihad Guest Silver Membership and receive free Wi-Fi vouchers to take
advantage of the Wi-Fi service available on-board Etihad Airways flights.
Passengers wishing to travel between the Kingdom and the United
States will benefit from the United States’ Customs and Border Protection facility
located at Abu Dhabi International Airport. The pre-clearance facility allows guests
to process all immigration and customs inspections in Abu Dhabi before
departure.
Abu Dhabi International Airport is one of only a handful of
airports outside of North America that offer such a facility. On arrival in the
US, travellers will be treated as domestic US passengers, meaning they will
save time on arrival or with onward connections.
On average, Etihad carries approximately 1.3 million passengers a
year to and from the Kingdom. In November 2018, Jeddah became the first
destination on the airline’s network to be operated by Etihad’s Boeing 787-10
Dreamliner.
With a strong commitment to creating a personalised travel
experience for Arab-speaking Etihad Guest members, Etihad Guest launched an
Arabic website. This new platform will deliver an improved experience for ANB
customers, further cementing the partnership and the airline’s commitment to guests
in the Saudi market.