RIYADH, 14 September 2004 -- In a major move to provide better services to the cardmembers, American Express has set up its own infrastructure including a technical platform that would allow Amex (Saudi Arabia) Limited to ensure migration of cards and associated customer information from its Bahrain-based technology grid to the Saudi platform. Simultaneously, one of the major features that American Express is introducing to its Gold and Platinum cardmembers is the "Flight Companion Program", when purchasing first and business class tickets on selected carriers.

"In addition, an inbuilt online fraud guarantee is another feature of the new American Express cards, which frees the customers from any liability should they be exposed to fraud while using their cards online", said Mazin Khoury, Amex's chief executive officer, here yesterday in an exclusive interview.

Khoury said that "with the establishment of our own infrastructure with American Express-enabled technology base, cardholders in Saudi Arabia will no longer be required to call overseas for card or transaction-related problems or for services of mixed nature".

At the moment, in the Kingdom alone, thousands of commercial and service outlets are accepting American Express purchase transactions electronically through point of sale (POS) terminals.

Spelling out the added features of American Express cards, Khoury said that "our cards have new designs and more attractive looks now, which take comparatively less processing time".

American Express currently holds 10 percent share in terms of the total number of cards currently in circulation in the Kingdom. "Blue" cardholders also enjoy another benefit of having one riyal credited to their accounts for every 100 riyals they spend, while other charge card members derive benefits from "Membership Reward Program", which awards card members with points that could be exchanged with free rewards such as shopping, air tickets, hotel accommodation, charity donations and more.

This is one of the reasons that Amex cards, which have reported a growth of more than 50 percent in the credit card portfolio proved very popular with Saudi and expatriate professionals. Khoury pointed out that "Al-Rajhi Banking and Investment Corporation (ARABIC), which has the largest number of POS terminals in the Kingdom, has concluded a deal with Amex (Saudi Arabia) Limited to accept American Express cards electronically through their POS terminals".

The signing of Amex-Rajhi agreement is a strategic move for American Express as it will significantly increase the number of POS terminals that accept American Express cards. ARABIC, today, has more than 391 branches and over 768 ATMS in Saudi Arabia, making it the largest banking network in the country.

ARABIC has also the largest remittance network through which this bank has been offering very cost-effective services especially for the benefits of hundreds of thousands of expatriates and Saudis alike.

Asked about Internet e-payment services offered by American Express, he said that the cardmembers are able to purchase online using their card with Middle East merchants including Saudi businesses. "In fact, cardmembers are now in better position to take advantage of the speed and convenience the Internet offers without risk and online fraud guarantee".

American Express has always been a leader in e-payment services. "Besides, we have also enhanced our productivity by upgrading our 24-hour call center, which is the first of its kind in the Kingdom in terms of time, personalized services and information relayed to customers", said CEO Khoury. He said that American Express cards today are accepted at millions of locations in more than 200 countries worldwide. It established its presence in the Middle East in 1959 and it is operating in 19 markets in the Middle East and North Africa region.

M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Arab News

© Arab News 2004