Citi Philippines Celebrates 25 Years of Leadership in Credit Cards with the campaign "My Unforgettable Story"
Manila –The country’s
largest foreign bank celebrates another milestone as it marks its 25thyear of providing world class credit card
products and services to the Filipino consumer.
It was in 1990 when
Citi Philippines introduced the Citibank MasterCard, marking the global bank’s
entry into the Philippine credit card market. Back then, Citi was also credited
for changing the payment landscape, when it lowered the minimum income requirement
to own a credit card, and turned what was once a financial tool only for the
elite, into a payment product that empowered middle income Filipino
cardholders.
“We are extremely
proud of our legacy of success here in the Philippines, particularly in our
consumer banking business led by our credit cards,” shared CEO Batara Sianturi
in his speech at the celebratory event. “As the world’s largest issuer of
credit cards, we bring our experience and expertise across the globe in
providing and anticipating the credit payment needs of our clients here in the
country with the help of our partners like MasterCard.”
Today, Citi remains
the acknowledged industry leader, with an enviable track record of innovations
and best-in-market offers and promotions, making many unforgettable stories
possible for its Filipino customers. And what would be a better way to
celebrate its 25th year than to reward its loyal clients
with the campaign ‘My Unforgettable Story’?
Unforgettable Stories
with Citi Cards
Launched in March and
running until August 2015, the promotion presents Citi cardholders the chance
to create new memories in some of the world’s most breathtaking places – by
simply using their Citi credit card. Bea Tan, who heads
Citi’s consumer banking business in the country related: “In designing this
promotion, we wanted to break the mold and ensure that our clients are truly
engaged from day one. We wanted to reward our loyal cardholders with
delightful and unique experiences, and empower them with making the best choice
from a list of impossible to resist selections according to their lifestyle and
preferences.”
And ‘My Unforgettable
Story’ certainly delivers all that and more. A total of fifteen lucky
cardholders will be chosen in three raffle draws, with five winners to be
awarded in each set. The first set of winners can choose one of the Stories of
Discovery prizes, including a
gourmet food tour in Japan, journey to self-discovery in Bali, scuba diving in
Palau, and China or Egypt exploration.
Meanwhile, 2nd raffle
draw winners can have a spectacular celebration of love as they can choose one
of the Stories
of Romance prizes such as a
honeymoon in Maldives, island escapade in Thailand and hot air balloon date in
Dubai. Winners can also have their dream wedding gown designed by a top
couturier, or make their most romantic proposal happen.
Things get more
exciting as the third set of winners can revel in one of the Stories of
Adventure prizes like a
family ski adventure in Korea, US theme park getaway, Mediterranean cruise,
African safari and the magical Aurora Borealis experience.
“It’s so easy to win
– just use your card for any purchase, regardless of amount, and you will earn
raffle entries. And because we want all our cardholders to have a chance
to win, we are awarding raffle entries for nearly every use of a Citi card:
from using Citibank Online to charging with Citi PayLite, and even when you
apply for a Personal Loan,” explained David Stoughton, Credit Payments Head of
Citi Philippines.
To see the complete list
of prizes and ways on how to qualify for the promotion, visit www.citibank.com.ph/mystory.
25
Years of Making Fantastic Plastics
“Beyond putting a
Citi Card into Filipinos’ wallets, we also opened up a host of world class
services and set new benchmarks for the industry,” recalled Tan. “Those
were very exciting first years as we unveiled one product or service after the
other, and saw not just our market share grow by leaps and bounds, but also
competitors sit up and take notice. What was most satisfying is that the
Filipino consumer is the real winner here.”
One of Citi’s game
changing programs was the launch of Citi Rewards; Citi was the first credit
card to introduce a loyalty program – offering rewards points to fuel rebates
to air miles to shopping credits – for every spend made on the card. “It
begs to be said that when we launched the program, it was so well designed that
it set the bar, and we have not needed to make any changes to it since,”
narrates Tan.
Indeed, Citi’s
Rewards Program has become so successful that today, clients think of three
options when they pay: credit card, points or cash? “In this day and age
when consumer trends and preferences change as fast as news travels, it’s a
real challenge to keep track of what customers want and to make sure these are
met – and at Citi, we strive to meet this challenge each day,” said Tan.
The Road ahead…is
Digital
Looking ahead to the
future, its loyal cardholders can expect Citi and MasterCard to continue to
invest in the digital payments space and leverage on technology to transform
the way in which it serves clients.
“At Citi, we strongly
believe the future is digital. Around the world, we actively promote the
transition to digital money. We are a global company doing business in
160 countries and jurisdictions, deeply embedded in over 700 cities and serving
about 200 million customer accounts with hundreds of products and services,”
declared Sianturi.
In Asia, Citi has
over 7 million digital banking registered users. Nearly 98% of all transactions
in this region now take place outside the branch, or via non-branch channels.
That’s roughly 20 million digital banking transactions a month in Asia –
and the trend is expected to double in five years. Closer to home, 47%
of its customers in the Philippines are registered users of digital banking.
Over the last decade, Citi has seen consistent growth in terms of the
number of users of both the Citibank Online and Citibank Mobile Banking
platforms year on year.
“Indeed, we have seen
an increasing shift to mobile usage, with customers using our Mobile App and
mobile browsers to make Funds Transfers and Bills Payment on their mobile
devices,” says Tan. “At Citi, we want our clients to have a remarkable
experience each and every time they choose to pay with our credit cards. Our
investments in the digital space, and partnership with trusted payment
solutions provider MasterCard, afford us the opportunity to deliver again and
again on this promise.”
About
Citi
Citi, the leading
global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business
in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers,
corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial
products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and
investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth
management.
Additional
information may be found at:
Twitter: @Citi
YouTube:www.youtube.com/citi
Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi
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