Diners Club International is taking its charge card into sub-Saharan Africa, with two new regions to be targeted before the end of 2015. Cardholders will be able to use their Diners Club cards in Mozambique and Nigeria by the end of this year.
Ebrahim Matthews, Managing Director of Diners Club South Africa, said the company is advancing into three African countries over the next year, the third being Angola.
“The launch sees the introduction of a range of new Diners Club card products in each country, including a new Diners Club credit card offer not yet available in South Africa,” said Matthews.
Diners Club will partner with Standard Bank Mozambique, and with Stanbic IBTC in Nigeria, and will work exclusively with each.
“Initial projects will include the launch of Maputo’s first corporate card offering with airport lounge access as well as ClubMiles rewards,” said Ashley Mathura, Head: African Expansion at Diners Club South Africa. “The second phase will focus on the consumer market. The uniqueness is that both these markets will leapfrog South Africa and offer credit cards, whereas Diners Club SA offers only charge cards at the moment.”
“We will expand on lounge access at airports,” adds Mathura. “Diners Club already offers lounge access to cardholders in Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Airport facilities will be expanded in Luanda (Angola), Lusaka (Zambia) and Kampala (Uganda), as well as Nairobi (Kenya). Although we already welcome international visitors at the CIP Premium Lounge at Maputo International, we will now be able to offer access to domestic clients too.”