AirPlus specialises in dematerialised payment through its A.I.D.A. stored value and virtual cards, so why is it now rolling out a corporate card offer?
Patrick Diemer - We are sticking to our strategy of centralising and dematerialising payments. But we're complementing this approach with an indispensable means of payment for business travellers on their business trips. That's really what motivates us: to offer the full range of payment solutions to cover all the needs of companies and their employees, whether before, during or after a trip. Nowadays, small expenses such as taxis, catering and parking are difficult to centralise. So, even though we are working on paperless solutions for all these issues, at present these expenses cannot always be settled virtually. What's more, some companies have not centralised, or do not want to centralise, payment for hotels or car hire. So the plastic card is still very relevant today.
The corporate card is not, in fact, a completely new addition to your offer...
P. D. - In fact, we've been offering this product in Germany for over a decade now, and it's also distributed in the UK, Belgium and Luxembourg. So we have real expertise in corporate cards. But this is a completely different scale. This card will be offered in 19 European countries, starting with France - a key market for us - in September. The number of countries involved makes this an almost unique offer.
AirPlus has real expertise in corporate cards
In detail, what are the advantages of this corporate card?
P. D. - Firstly, it is accepted by the MasterCard network, covering 220 countries and 44 million points of sale worldwide. What's more, the AirPlus corporate card features contactless payment and a latest-generation chip that virtually eliminates the risk of fraud. Naturally, the offer also includes generous travel insurance and assistance cover, provided by AXA. To all this, we add a tool that allows you to control and fine-tune the use of the card, for example by prohibiting cash withdrawals or blocking certain types of supplier. What's more, nothing is imposed on businesses, everything is flexible. They will be able to combine individual or corporate responsibility for debiting the employee's account or the company's account as they see fit, whatever the local circumstances.
How does this card fit in with your range of solutions?
P. D. - By covering all corporate expenditure, it gives companies an even broader view of their travel budget. The payment data from the corporate cards is added to the data from the corporate card and the virtual card, all of which is seamlessly integrated into the management and expense reporting systems. It's a simple, practical and seamless solution. Another advantage for companies is that they have a single point of contact and a single contract for all their payment solutions. That's what they expect today.
Contact AirPlus International - 22, rue Caumartin - 75009 Paris. Tel: +33 (0) 1 43 12 36 36 -
Email : marketingfrance@airplus.com - Site : www.airplus.com/fr/fr/accueil.html
