Saturday 20 / April / 2024
Muscat: Thirty lucky football fans from Oman could be given the chance to enjoy an all-expenses paid trip to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The special package from Visa and Bank Muscat was announced by the latter while unveiling their new limited edition 2018 World Cup credit cards.
“We are giving 15 packages, and each package is for two people, so there are 30 people who will go from Oman to watch the World Cup in Russia, sponsored by Bank Muscat in association with Visa,” said Amjad Al Lawati, AGM for cards and e-banking for Bank Muscat.
“The 15 winners will be from all the segments of the bank: from the mass segment, from the Al Jawhar and A’Salah premium banking service and our private banking service so there will be winners from all sectors,” he added.
“We are only sending all the winners to either the finals or the semi-finals of the World Cup, and the sponsorship includes hotel accommodation, flight tickets, premium seats at the football stadium and a pre-paid card from Visa with a cash allowance of $450,” he added. “Oman is a nation that is very passionate about its football, so we are sure everyone will be looking forward to this.”
This is the third FIFA World Cup collaboration between Bank Muscat and Visa. To enter the draw for these packages, Bank Muscat credit card holders need to spend at least OMR10 on their cards. The more money people spend on their cards the greater their chances of winning the draw. While OMR10 gets you one entry into the draw, OMR20 would give you two, and so on.
“We have been associated with Visa for a very long time, and this is the third World Cup for which we have taken rights from them to make special cards,” said Al Lawati. “We were there with them at Brazil 2014 and at South Africa 2010. We began preparations for all these events at least six months prior, whether it was the actual design of the card, the media campaigns or the packages.
“Visa is the official payment partner for FIFA and we are their biggest partner in Oman. So, a meeting took place about eight years ago, and officials from the bank and Visa met and discussed the opportunities available and we made a plan that has been a successful partnership since then,” he added.
The demand for these cards soared during the last two World Cups, and Al Lawati is expecting a similar response this time out.
“It was huge because these are collectors’ items and there are people who collect these items on a regular basis,” he said. “They wait for these cards to come out every four years so they can add it to their collection. In Oman, it’s only been there for the last two World Cups and this one, but it’s been going on for a lot longer around the world.
“We had so much demand for special cards during the last World Cup that we had to, in fact, order a second batch of cards,” added Al Lawati. “There is a validity of two years on these cards because no card has a lifetime validity, but you can still keep this card even afterwards because this is a special card. Anyone is welcome to apply for these cards, because with our regular credit cards, we insist that your salary is credited to your Bank Muscat account, but here, we have issued a waiver so that anyone who opens an account with us can apply for these cards. All you have to do is give us a salary statement and you can apply for these cards.”
