ComBank and Visa launch DragonPass – Airport Companion Program for the first time in Sri Lanka

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has become the first bank in Sri Lanka to partner with Visa to offer its premium credit card holders exclusive travel-related benefits at more than 900 airports around the world.

Holders of Visa Infinite and Visa Signature credit cards issued by Commercial Bank are now eligible to receive discounted lounge access and discounts on dining under the DragonPass Visa Airport Companion Asia Pacific Program, the first-of-its-kind digitally-integrated Airport Privilege Program in the country.

Launched in Sri Lanka by the country’s largest private bank, the program enables Commercial Bank’s Visa Infinite cardholders to avail themselves of one complimentary lounge access per year to Airport lounges around the world. Customers also can enjoy a discounted rate when purchasing additional lounge access and benefit from dining discounts up to 50% at 800 global airport dining outlets.

Holders of Visa Signature cards issued by Commercial Bank enjoy a discounted rate on purchasing lounge access as well as discounts at dining outlets at 800 airports under the program.

Offered via DragonPass, the first all-in-one platform with lounge access, dining and limousine services these benefits can be accessed by downloading the Airport Companion Asia Pacific app from Google Play Store or the Apple Store, the Bank said. The limousine service is available in 140 key International cities.

Card holders simply enter their Visa Infinite or Visa Signature credit card details for a one-time verification, enter the personal details required to register their DragonPass membership accounts and search for available lounges or dining offers in the application when they travel overseas.

“At Commercial Bank, we are constantly exploring ways of adding value for our credit card holders, who represent an important segment of the business,” said Mr Hasrath Munasinghe, Deputy General Manager – Marketing. “These customers are frequent travellers and the benefits offered by the Airport Companion Asia Pacific Program can significantly enhance their travel experience.”

“Globally, international tourist arrivals grew by 3.9% to reach a total of 1,235 million in 2016. Travel and more specifically international travel is more convenient than ever before for over 1.3 million Sri Lankans each year. With travellers spending a significant amount of time at airports, access to lounges and good dining options is increasingly a prerequisite for international travellers. Along with the numerous ongoing offers, facilitating access to a global network of lounges across international airports will help Sri Lankan travellers truly experience the joy of owning a Visa card,” said Mr Anthony Watson, Visa’s Country Manager for Sri Lanka.

Offering Visa cardholders a complete airport experience via a digitally integrated mobile platform, the Visa Airport Companion Program is a comprehensive digital solution to create a unique and seamless total airport experience for Visa cardholders. The platform includes in-app payment, card verification, smart recommendations and push notifications.

Visa has signed a partnership with DragonPass to implement the program. Established in 2005, DragonPass now has more than 12 million members around the world, is growing fast and revolutionising the airport experience.

Commercial Bank cards are the fastest growing cards in Sri Lanka and enjoy market leadership in Credit and Debit Card cumulative point-of-sale usage. The Bank offers a variety of credit cards in the Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers of both Visa and MasterCard as well as Visa Signature, World MasterCard and Visa Infinite cards in the premium segment. The cards are equipped with ‘Tap & Go’ NFC technology and are backed by a strong NFC Point-of-Sale (POS) network. Commercial Bank ‘Max Loyalty Rewards’ scheme is the only loyalty scheme that offers loyalty rewards points on both Credit and Debit cards.

The only Sri Lankan bank to be ranked among the Top 1000 banks of the world for seven years consecutively, Commercial Bank operates a network of 256 branches and 695 ATMs in Sri Lanka. The Bank won 10 major international awards in 2016 and has over the years won multiple awards as Sri Lanka’s Best Bank, Best Trade Bank, Strongest Bank and Most Respected Bank from a number of local and international institutions and publications.  It has also been adjudged one of Sri Lanka’s 10 best corporate citizens by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce for several years.