Customers to be rewarded with an exclusive Gulf Air Falconflyer membership

Manama, Bahrain, August 8th, 2012: Bahraini retail and commercial banking institution, BMI Bank, today announced the launch of a new addition to its portfolio of credit cards with Visa. In addition to easy access to a diverse selection of travel, dining, shopping and lifestyle opportunities that form the core proposition of a Visa Platinum credit card, the new Platinum card from BMI Bank will offer customers the advantage of earning miles  on everyday purchases that can be directly redeemed towards Gulf Air's 'Falconflyer' program (FFP). Customers will also automatically receive a complementary 'Falconflyer Silver membership that comes equipped with a host of benefits including access to the prestigious Falcon Gold lounges at airports across the world when they travel with Gulf Air.

Commenting on the launch of the Platinum credit card, Eyad Sater, General Manager - Support Services at BMI Bank, said:

"I am pleased to roll out our latest credit card in line with a commitment to provide customers with financial solutions that better suits their needs whilst rewarding them for their loyalty. Our Platinum credit card is a one of its kind credit card focused at creating a new benchmark to help meet the lifestyle aspirations of the high spending customer segment and I consider it to be a remarkable addition to our existing portfolio which includes the La carte credit cards and our Diners Club cards. Customers who shop with our platinum credit card will receive 1 mile per BD 2 spent locally and 1 mile per BD spent outside the country.

We are proud to sign up with Gulf Air, our national carrier and a strategic partner to BMI Bank and are confident that our customers will truly benefit from this alliance. We will soon be re-launching our premier banking proposition in line with what customers expect from us whilst continuing to invest in our products and services to enhance their experience with us."

Gulf Air's Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Karim Makhlouf said, "Gulf Air has been offering a range of incentives and benefits to its FFP members by joining hands with key commercial organizations in the Kingdom. The agreement with BMI Bank is that latest cooperation that allows its cardholders to enjoy the benefits our FFP program. It is a win-win proposition for Gulf Air as well as BMI Bank as members can enjoy the benefits that both organizations offer."

 "The Gulf Air FFP is one of the best loyalty programs in the region offering its members a generous number of loyalty points and miles when they fly. These miles can be exchanged for a number of benefits including free flights, upgrades, lounge access and excess baggage as well as membership upgrades," Mr. Makhlouf concluded.

In addition to the Platinum credit card, the Bank also offers customers a range of value based credits cards including La Carte Visa classic and platinum credit card, a co-branded card with Geant hypermarket that rewards customers for purchases made at Geant, La Marche and Last Chance and its Diners Club credit card. The Bank's credit cards come equipped with a range of value added services including free real time SMS alerts on transactions made using the card, Purchase Protection Insurance and Secured Wallet Insurance.

As part of the free Silver membership to Gulf Air's FFP, customers will be entitled to an extra allowance of 15KG on their luggage, 25% bonus air miles, an expedited check in service via the Falcon desk and priority baggage handling when they use fly Gulf Air.

To find out more about Visa's Platinum program kindly follow the link to http://www.visacemea.com/wv/platinum/vpp/main.jsp and to read about Gulf Air's FFP please visit http://www.gulfair.com/English/ffp/Pages/about.aspx

-Ends- 

About BMI Bank B.S.C. (c)
Bahraini retail and commercial banking institution, BMI Bank is a retail bank, registered in Bahrain and regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB). The Bank offers customers a complete range of innovative and unique financial products and services through its extended network of strategically located branches and ATMs. The Bank's multi-award winning online channels including its corporate website www.bmibank.com.bh were recently honored with three prestigious awards at the 3rd Pan Arab Banking Web Awards - 2012. In addition, the Bank also received a J.P. Morgan Chase - Straight Through Processing (STP) award for 2011 recognizing its superior quality and consistently high performance within the area of international money transmissions and diligent processing of payments. This has helped to consolidate the Bank's position as well as perception within the country as a key local retail Bank.

BMI Bank also operates an international branch in Qatar, an Offshore Bank in the Seychelles joint venture with Nouvobanq) and has a 21.33% shareholding in Gulf African Bank - Kenya. In addition, BMI Bank owns and operates the Diners Club cards franchise in Bahrain. BMI Bank's shareholders include some of the strongest and most respected financial institutions across the GCC, including BankMuscat (SAOG) the flagship financial institution in the Sultanate of Oman.  With assets worth over USD 18 billion, BankMuscat (SAOG) is the leading financial services provider in Oman with a strong presence in Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, Investment Banking, Treasury, Private Banking and Asset Management..

BMI Bank currently offers its customers a range of retail products and services including savings and current accounts, USD 1.69 million prize-winning Ayadi savings account, credit cards including Diners Club and La Carte, a co-branded credit card in partnership with Geant Hypermarket Bahrain, fixed deposits, Salaf and the recently launched Salaf plus range of personal, auto and mortgage loans. The Bank recently signed a strategic and exclusive service agreement with CrediMax, the leading credit card acquirer in the Kingdom of Bahrain, to utilize their Point of Sales (POS) machines as well as payment gateways amongst its approved merchants to accept and authorize the Bank's credit card product - Diners Club cards within Bahrain by the end of the year thereby giving the brand 100% acceptance across the country.

In addition to its secure credit card online repayment channel that enables customers of the Bank to pay their credit card bill online using any benefit enabled debit card, customers can also deposit real-time cash into their various accounts with the Bank using special cash and cheque deposit ATMs located at the self-service area within the Bank's branches without the need to be committed to the Bank's working hours.

In addition to Retail Banking the Bank also offers Private Banking, Wholesale Banking, Islamic Banking and Treasury services.

For further information, please contact:
Gordon Andrade
Head, Corporate Communications
BMI Bank - Bahrain
E-mail: gordon.andrade@bmibank.com
Cell: +973 39782225 

About Gulf Air
Founded in 1950, Gulf Air is the proud national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain. As a pioneering airline in the Middle East region with sixty years of experience and expertise in flying people across continents, Gulf Air is today one of the most powerful brands and a name to reckon with in the global aviation industry.

One of the prime objectives of Gulf Air is to connect Bahrain to the Middle East countries and the rest of the world. As such the airline currently operates the largest network in the Middle East with non-stop flights while providing seamless onward connections to other international destinations. The airline's current network stretches from Europe to Asia, connecting 50 cities in 32 countries, with a fleet of 38 aircraft. 

In tune with the Kingdom's economic blue print, 'Vision 2030', Gulf Air's strategy is to build an efficient, commercially sustainable and dynamic airline that effectively serves the people and the economy of Bahrain and represents the Kingdom on the world stage. Reflecting the needs and aspirations of its customers, the strategy focuses on three core areas: a targeted, more focused international network, a superior, more consistent product and a modern, more efficient fleet that will optimize value. Gulf Air's goal remains its commitment to the latest aviation technology complemented by its hallmark Arabian hospitality for which the airline is well known.   

For more information please visit www.gulfair.com

For media enquiries, please contact:
Katherine Kaczynska
Senior Manager Corporate Communications
Gulf Air Tel: +973 17338416 - +973 36500292
Email: katherine.kaczynska@gulfair.com

© Press Release 2012