First product of its kind in the region

Combines features of Visa credit card and RTA Nol card

Offers several lifestyle, security and transit-related benefits

Dubai, November 28, 2011: Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Visa, today unveiled the "Go4it" Credit Card," which combines the features and benefits of a Visa credit card and the proprietary Nol transit application, used for making payments on the RTA transit network and at parking meters. A unique product, the co-branded "Go4it" Visa Credit Card is the first of its kind in the Middle East, and is the result of technical integration and careful planning in choosing meaningful benefits that provide customers with added value.

The "Go4it" Credit Card and its extensive range of cardholder benefits were unveiled at a press conference in the presence of senior officials from Emirates NBD, RTA and Visa. As part of this partnership, Emirates NBD Group has exclusive rights to issue card products with RTA's proprietary Nol transit application.

"Emirates NBD is delighted to be partnering with RTA, which runs one of the best public transportation systems in the region," said Rick Pudner, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates NBD. "At Emirates NBD, retail banking has always been a key focus area, and with one of the largest multi-channel retail distribution network and customer base, we believe there is an excellent opportunity to provide greater value to our common customers. The multi-functional co-branded Go4it Card is in line with our joint focus on customer convenience, and has been specially designed to incorporate a variety of benefits and advantages, while meeting the needs of regular users of Dubai's public transport systems."

"At RTA, we are proud of our leadership in innovative service initiatives that create value for our passengers, because it enables us to move closer to realising our strategic objective of establishing a state-of-the-art mass transport infrastructure," said Abdulla Al Madani, Corporate Technical Support Services CEO, RTA. "Emirates NBD and RTA already share a long-standing corporate relationship as two leading organisations headquartered in Dubai, and we are happy to partner with the bank once again to launch the Go4it credit-cum-Nol card. This innovative product is an excellent example of cross-industry collaboration offering consumers increased convenience and rewards through one card to meet their daily commuting and spending needs."

The first such product of its kind in the Middle East, the "Go4it" Visa Credit Card combines the proprietary Nol transit application and a credit card. An Auto top up feature enables cardholders to automatically top up their Nol and Salik accounts from the linked Go4it Credit Card account, ensuring ease of travel through all RTA-related transit points.

"As one of the world's leading electronic payment networks, Visa has worked tirelessly to accelerate the global shift towards electronic payments and is known for its innovative approach to payment solutions that meet the ever-changing needs of consumers and businesses alike," said Kamran Siddiqi, General Manager for Visa Middle East. "Visa aims to attract more participants to its network by better enabling them to connect and transact, which is why we are delighted to partner with Emirates NBD and RTA on such an exciting and innovative project."

The "Go4it" Card will make a significant difference to cardholders, as it will make daily travel easier. Its functionality as a normal credit card will also enable customers to do away with the hassle of carrying several payment cards."

Available in two variants - Go4it Platinum and Go4it Gold - the VISA-branded "Go4it" Credit Card includes all the functionalities and benefits of Visa credit cards, including rewards, loyalty points and lifestyle benefits. These include a Rewards programme that enables earning five times the normal rewards on weekend spend on the credit card, value offers on movie tickets at VOX cinemas, discounts at over 500 restaurants and an exclusive package of 120 "Buy One Get One Free" lifestyle offers from reputed establishments.

"Our market research indicated that customers are interested in lifestyle and security benefits in addition to greater convenience while using the RTA network," said R.Sivaram, Cards Business Head, Emirates NBD. "This insight has been the main driver behind developing the co-branded compelling product, which would make the market GO FOR IT."

The innovative "Go4it" Credit Card also comes with complimentary Life Insurance cover of up to AED100,000, in addition to a unique Lifestyle Protector Insurance to cover and manage household expenses of up to AED 300,000, in case of any eventuality. Additionally, it also offers cardholders complimentary travel accident and inconvenience insurance up to AED 1 million.

The "Go4it" Card is competitively priced with an annual fee of AED 199 (Platinum) and AED 99 (Gold). 

-Ends-

About Emirates NBD
Emirates NBD is a leading banking Group in the region. The Group has a leading retail banking franchise in the UAE, with over 133 branches and over 750 ATMs and CDMs.  It is a major player in the UAE corporate banking arena and has strong Islamic banking, investment banking, private banking, asset management and brokerage operations. 

The Group has operations in the UAE, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Jersey (Channel Islands), and representative offices in India and Iran.

The Group is an active participant and supporter of the UAE's main development initiatives and of the various educational, environmental, cultural, charity and community welfare establishments.

For more information, please visit: www.emiratesnbd.com or contact:
Afaf Jbara / Hassan Al Khuwaildi
Communications
Group Marketing, Emirates NBD
Tel: 971-4-6093481 / 971-4-6093459
Mob: 971 50 8842020 / 971 50 7454454
Email: Afafj@emiratesbank.com / HassanAl@emiratesnbd.com

Parisa Ansarian / Sudha Chandran
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller
Dubai, UAE
Tel: 971-4-4507600
Fax: 971-4-4358040
Email: p.ansarian@asdaa.com / s.chandran@asdaa.com

Iman Ahmed
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller
+971 50 2058021
i.ahmed@asdaa.com

About Visa
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world's most advanced processing networks--VisaNet--that is capable of handling more than 10,000 transactions a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank, and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: Pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.

For more information, please contact:
Rawan El -Saleh / Lisa Flanagan
DABO & CO
Tel: +971 4 344 4901
email: visateam@daboandco.com

© Press Release 2011