Mastercard today announces the enhanced World and World Elite card programs

Mastercard today announced the enhanced World and World Elite card programs, providing affluent consumers in the Philippines and other markets in Southeast Asia a range of rewards, lifestyle privileges and experiences at home and away. The card programs also provide an additional security layer with Mastercard ID Theft Protection^TMthat allows cardholders to proactively monitor and be alerted to instances of identity fraud. 

 

According to Mastercard’s inaugural experience survey conducted in 2021, the pandemic drove people to redefine their expectations, leading them to focus more on self-care, such as prioritizing mental wellbeing (85%), emotional wellbeing (83%), and physical wellbeing (83%) to help them feel uplifted and build better connections with others. With people in the Philippines increasingly focusing on health & wellbeing, the enhanced Mastercard World and World Elite card programs will provide consumers access to a range of experiences, benefits, and services across those focal points that will allow them to get the most out of life. 

As the propensity for consumers to shop, live and spend digitally increases, Mastercard has entered new partnerships to deliver offers with relevant merchants and categories. Cardholders can make the most of benefits like Centr: By Chris Hemsworth, a personalized digital health and fitness program to meet their wellness goals. Eligible World Elite cardholders are also entitled to complimentary unlimited Doctor Chat, Teleconsultation and medicine delivery provided by Allianz Partners and MyDoc.

 

World Elite cardholders will also enjoy complimentary green fees at up to 74 premium golf clubs worldwide and 50% discounted green fees at 42 premium golf clubs in Asia for World cardholders.  

 

As borders begin to reopen across Southeast Asia and consumers look for staycations or international trips, the World and World Elite card programs provide airport lounge access and limousine services*, as well as curated travel offers with up to 12% off on attractions and tours booked through Klook, and 20% off accommodation booked through Agoda. *World and World Elite cardholders should check with their issuing banks on the specific benefits available.

 

“Today’s consumers perceive health & wellness through a much broader and more sophisticated lens that encompasses not just fitness and nutrition but also overall physical and mental wellbeing. Mastercard is pleased to offer a world of special privileges that will help cardholders enjoy more of what matters to them,” said Simon Calasanz, Country Manager, Philippines, Mastercard.

 

Get ready to unlock priceless experiences in the cities where you live and travel, curated exclusively for Mastercard World and World Elite cardholders here.

 

Camila Cabello Joins Mastercard Roster Creating Digital Priceless Experiences

From intimate acoustic sessions with Camila Cabello featuring new renditions of her hit music to two-time Grand Slam™ winner Naomi Osaka serving up a family favorite recipe to a question and answer session hosted by rugby legend Bryan Habana, 

Mastercard is partnering with its global ambassadors to craft unique experiences for at-home enjoyment. The company is taking its expertise in building physical events and bringing them online in a series of global Digital Priceless Experiences, at a time when connecting to our passions – like music, sports and culinary – is more important than ever. 

“At Mastercard, through our long-established Priceless experiences platform, we have both an opportunity and a responsibility to continue connecting consumers with their passions,” said Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer, Mastercard. “We are adapting our traditional sponsorships, leveraging our partnerships and creating new, digital ways of bringing once-in-a-lifetime moments into people’s homes.”

Experiences span the globe and passion areas, all featured on Mastercard’s experiential lifestyle hub Priceless.com. People can enjoy intimate acoustic musical performances, gameplay insights from the pros, private cooking lessons from celebrity chefs, training sessions with renowned fitness experts, behind-the-scenes tours of some of the world’s most famed destinations, and more. Visitors can also access additional exclusive content from celebrities, experts and ambassadors on the site.

“This is Mastercard’s way of doing what we can to help keep people’s spirits up and their passions alive while they’re spending more time than ever at home looking for entertainment and inspiration on their mobile devices,” said Rustom Dastoor, senior vice president, Marketing and Communications, Asia Pacific, Mastercard. 

“As priceless.com is accessible from 90+ countries and supports multiple languages, including simplified and traditional Chinese, we look forward to giving unparalleled access to some of the world’s top entertainers, athletes and culinary stars, to Mastercard cardholders no matter where they are in the world.” 

Visitors can travel the globe virtually to:

Arts & Culture: Visit Spain’s Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza and learn the intricate stories behind some of the museum's masterpieces.

Culinary: Learn how to throw the ultimate online party from Sommelier Belinda Chang; take virtual cooking lessons from Chef JJ Johnson; turn your pantry staples into a gourmet meal with Chef Bryan Voltaggio; take a virtual cooking class with Michelin-starred chefs from across Europe through JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs.

Music: Unwind during intimate, at-home acoustic sessions with GRAMMY Award® nominated singer/songwriter Camila Cabello sharing new renditions of her hit music, kicking off on May 27^th. 

Sports: Up your game with golf tips from pros including Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Annika Sorenstam; and get baseball pointers from former MLB® pitcher Tim Wakefield. Around the globe, future experiences will include those with Pakistan cricket legend Wasim Akram, Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj, New Zealand rugby legend Dan Carter, South African rugby legend Bryan Habana, Norwegian footballer Ada Hegerberg, Japanese rugby star Michael Leitch, tennis star and two-time Grand Slam™ winner Naomi Osaka and English footballer Alex Scott.

Some experiences are livestreamed and available to the general public while others are reserved for Mastercard cardholders and partners. Most are currently available free of charge during this time. Digital Priceless Experiences are also available to Mastercard partners through API solutions. For more information on Digital Priceless Experiences, including replays of previous events or to participate in an upcoming experience, visit Priceless.com.* 

What partners have to say:

Naomi Osaka: “Connecting with people all over the world is so important to me as I have friends, family and fans in so many countries. In a time when we’re finding motivation and inspiration in different places, it’s cool to be partnering with Mastercard off the court and share something from my home with others.”

Pernille Harder: “‘I’m excited to partner up with Mastercard in supporting a good cause and connect with cardholders around the world during these rather difficult times. It’s important that we share experiences and encourage each other to make the most of ourselves and the time we have at home.”

Sam Kerr: “Mastercard continues to connect with people all around the world even when they've been encouraged to stay at home. I'm thankful to be partnered with Mastercard.”

Alex Scott: “Right now is a difficult time for everyone and I’m hoping that by partnering with Mastercard I can provide people with some momentary relief and provide ways for them to connect to the things they love while needing to stay apart.”

Annika Sorenstam: “If you’re a cardholder, go to priceless.com and check out all the amazing experiences Mastercard is creating during these tough times. I’m excited to be part of such a great program.”

COVID canceled your plans? Here are 3 steps to getting your money back!

Bangkok Claims Top Spot in MasterCard’s Inaugural Index

Inbound arrivals to Bangkok grew 28.6% in 2015,
 with three Thai destinations securing top 10 positions

Bangkok has increased its lead over the pack as the region’s most popular destination, with international overnight visitors breaking the 20 million mark for the first time, according to the results of the inaugural MasterCard Asia Pacific Destinations Index.  Second place was a close fight between Singapore and Tokyo.

The inaugural index provides a ranking of 167 destinations across Asia Pacific. Thailand dominated the top ten destinations, taking three of the top ten rankings, with Phuket securing fifth place (9.3 million) and the coastal city of Pattaya coming in at eighth place (8.1 million).

Half of the top 10 destinations saw 10 percent growth or more in international overnight visitor numbers between 2014 and 2015 – Osaka (54.0 percent), Tokyo (53.2 percent), Bangkok (28.6 percent), Phuket (15.5 percent) and Pattaya (10.0 percent).

The top 20 destinations of Asia Pacific represent around half of all international overnight arrivals to the 167 Asia Pacific destinations covered by the Index.

The top ten Asia Pacific destinations ranked by international overnight visitor numbers: Bangkok – 21.9 million,  Singapore – 11.8 million, Tokyo – 11.8 million,  Kuala Lumpur – 11.3 million, Phuket – 9.3 million, Seoul – 9.2 million, Hong Kong – 8.3 million, Pattaya – 8.1 million, Bali – 7.2 million, and Osaka – 6.5 million.

Asia Pacific’s tourism industry is the largest in the world by total contribution to GDP, having overtaken Europe in 2014. Tourism contributed US$2.27 trillion to Asia Pacific economies and 153.7 million jobs in 2015.

Bangkok also ranked number one in total expenditure at US$15.2 billion, with Seoul (US$14.4 billion) coming in second place, followed by Singapore (US$14.1 billion), Tokyo (US$11.9 billion) and Kuala Lumpur (US$10.5 billion).

The top ten Asia Pacific destinations by total expenditure are: Bangkok – US$15.2 billion, Seoul – US$14.4billion, Singapore  – US$14.1 billion, Tokyo – US$11.9 billion, Kuala Lumpur – US$10.5 billion, Bali – US$10.3 billion, Taipei – US$9.5 billion, Phuket – US$8.0 billion, Hong Kong – US$6.7 billion, Sydney – US$6.0 billion.

Of the top 20 destinations by total expenditure per day, Shanghai (US$269 per day) welcomed the biggest spenders, followed by Beijing (US$262 per day), Seoul (US$258 per day), Singapore (US$255 per day) and Hong Kong (US$240 per day).

Matthew Driver, Group Executive, Global Products & Solutions, Asia Pacific, MasterCard, commented, “The tourism industry in Asia Pacific is continuing to show robust growth with an increasing number of destinations receiving well over five million visitors a year, driven by increased consumer wealth, particularly from China. Our Asia Pacific Destinations Index (APDI) 2015 reveals the continued resilience of the Thailand market for tourism led by a resurgent Bangkok, as well as the return to popularity of Japan for visitors as demonstrated by the more than 50 percent growth year on year in its top four destinations. Providing in-depth analysis of overnight arrivals in 167 Asia Pacific destinations, the APDI can help businesses and governments better understand the underlying components of in-bound tourism demand, so they can plan investment to ensure the sustainable development of the tourism industry. This is becoming increasingly important as tourist numbers continue to rise, as at current growth rates, Asia Pacific will have more than 500 million tourist arrivals by 2020.”

Get 10% discount every Monday with Lazada using your Mastercard

Mondays are never manic with Lazada and Mastercard!

Get 10% discount on select lifestyle items

If you are the urban lifestylista, the proud mother of three, or a yuppie trying to make it big in your career, there could be many reasons to dread Mondays—the traffic, the hustle and bustle of the daily grind, or probably just the mere idea of ticking an item off your kilometer-long to-do lists.

While you are busy making the most out of life, Lazada, the country’s biggest online shopping mall, together with Mastercard, is encouraging you to live your best life now by taking advantage of effortless and risk-free shopping at Lazada.com.ph. With additional 10% off on select lifestyle items, you can easily shop using your Mastercard.

Shop like a VIP at Lazada Philippines’ Mastercard Lifestyle Mondays with tens of thousands of lifestyle items right at your fingertips from home appliances, health and beauty products, fashion and accessories, to watches and many more.

Online shopping at Lazada offers not just the best deals on the hottest items in town, but also provide its consumers the enviable VIP treatment that they deserve. From its myriad of payment options, to free nationwide shipping on transactions above P1000 to free product returns within 30 days (subject to applicable terms and conditions), Lazada has never ceased to make online shopping truly effortless and risk-free; especially now that you can shop via your smartphones with the Lazada Mobile App now available in Apple Appstore, Google Play, and now in Windows Store. So no matter what phone you may be using, you can certainly shop while you’re on the go.

So Mondays are never manic with Lazada.com.ph and Mastercard as it continues to bring awesome deals with the Mastercard Lifestyle Mondays.

To know more about their partnership, log on to http://www.lazada.com.ph/shop-mastercard-monday/ or subscribe at Lazada Philippines fan page by liking www.facebook.com/LazadaPhilippines.