Hans Sy and other businessmen on their favorite destinations
Do you know that there are now nine million credit cards circulating in the Philippines from 16 issuers, and that the country’s newest credit card the Chinabank Destinations Mastercard, seeks to elevate quality service with exciting added perks for travelers?
Romeo Uyan, Jr., new president of the pioneering, 103-year-old China Bank, said in an interview at the Fairmont Hotel ballroom grand launch that their new Chinabank Destinations Mastercard aims to delight customers with an array of travel benefits. When I asked him for his top three favorite travel destinations, Uyan replied: “Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.”
When I asked Chinabank chairman Hans T. Sy of the SM Group about his top-three favorite travel destinations, he smiled, paused for a while and replied, “One: Japan. Ever since I was young, I feel connected to Japan. Two, Australia. My kids studied there, wherein we were able to explore enough. Three, China. It’s such a big country with wide, diverse and interesting culture and places.”
In reply to the same question, SM Supermalls president Steven T. Tan responded, “Paris, because I’ve always been fascinated by its rich culture and the grandeur of its architecture. I lived there in the late ’90s because I took up my MBA there, so I still have a lot of friends I visit there annually. Two, Tokyo: there’s so much to discover and even if you’ve been there a couple of times already, there would always be new discoveries. The culinary experience is also something that amazed me. Then of course, I still have so many places I want to explore in this beautiful country of ours. So many hidden gems. If there’s a place I want to visit that is on my bucket list, it would be Cuba. I want to see Cuba at its current state where time stood still. It’s like traveling back in time. It’s a country trapped in the ’50s.”
Romeo Uyan, Jr. added that these are some of the advantageous features of the new Chinabank Destinations Mastercard: “The low conversion, or every P30 spent becomes one air mile; the low fee of only 1.7% for foreign exchange transactions or expenses abroad, while other banks’ credit cards charge higher fees from 2.25% to 2.5%; this credit card has tie-ups with many top airlines like Philippine Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, American Airlines, United Airlines, Garuda, Gulf Air, and more premium airline partners to come.
“On top of these, each credit card has various features that make it the must-have travel companion, which include an Accor Plus Explorer membership that grants exclusive benefits at 1,000 hotels and over 1,400 restaurants across 20 countries in Asia Pacific, airport lounge access, a 24/7 concierge service, and travel and Inconvenience Insurance coverage of up to P20 million, all guided by applicable terms and conditions.”
When I asked Aloysius Alday, Jr., Chinabank executive vice president and head of the Consumer Banking Segment, what are his top-three favorite travel destinations, he answered, “One, Paris for the foods; two, Bangkok; three, Siargao Island in the southern Philippines, because that is the hometown of my mother, Sylvia Consigna Alday.”
On the new credit card, Alday added: “Being a business that holds its customers close to heart, we took into account the needs of many travelers when planning out their trips. Recognizing this, we carefully mapped out a solution to ensure that all they have to think of is living their best life in the destination of their choice — the Chinabank Destinations Mastercard is set to be why you can travel more.”
Award-winning singer-songwriter and TV personality Richard Poon, who regaled the bankers and guests at the Chinabank Destinations Mastercard launch event with his songs, told me about his top three favorite travel destinations: “One, Japan; two, Taiwan (my Mom Eva Huang is originally from there); and three, Hong Kong (my dad Robert Poon has Cantonese origins).”
One of the hosts of the launch event, actor and commercial model Will Devaughn, responded to my question about his top three destinations with “Egypt, which I had just visited. I loved it because I’m a fan of civilizations, lost and hidden; two, Peru (which I haven’t visited yet); and Germany, which is my birthplace in the town of Budingen. My mother is German. I left Germany in 1987 and want to visit it again.”
Cesar L. Wee, Jr., award-winning condominium developer and CEO and president of Wee Community Developers, Inc., told me: “Spain, Bangkok, and Davao.”
Simon A. Calasanz, country manager of Mastercard Philippines, said his top three favorite travel destinations are: “Japan, Italy and Hong Kong.” On what makes the Chinabank Destinations Mastercard exciting and appealing, he said, “The proposition, the spend-to-mile ratio is excellent… from its winning proposition to the concierge service, which will ensure that customers are well taken care of.”
Niña Q. Reynoso, Chinabank head of Card Marketing, told me her top three favorite travel destinations are “Japan, I love Spain, and Palawan, which I have never been to yet.”
Apart from its mission of being a catalyst of wealth and value creation since its founding in 1920, Chinabank now has an opportunity to enable its customers to jet off to many places more often without spending more and with better comforts. Chinabank leaders told The Philippine STAR that the venerable institution “is making sure customers can truly experience the best of the world” with its latest credit card offerings: the Chinabank Destinations World Mastercard, the Chinabank Destinations World Dollar Mastercard, and the Chinabank Destinations Platinum Mastercard.
Visit www.chinabank.ph/credit-cards or email creditcards@chinabank.ph to know more.
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