ADCB unveils a 'smarter way to pay'

The ADCB Smart Debit card programme is the first debit card in the Middle East to offer cardholders a cash rebate on every purchase made with the card, no matter how big or small.

"The ADCB Smart Debit card programme demonstrates our intention to deliver a superior standard of banking and customer focus, both in the UAE and beyond," says Saeed Mubarak Al Hajeri, Chairman of ADCB. "Smart Debit heralds a new era in terms of providing value-added benefits and advantages to our esteemed customers in the UAE. ADCB has introduced the first debit card that pays you to use it"

In addition to providing a cash rebate on every purchase, the ADCB Smart Debit Card is the first debit card in the UAE to utilize Smart Chip technology, allowing increased security against counterfeit card fraud.

"The ADCB Smart Debit card underlines our commitment to provide innovative banking solutions designed to exceed customer expectations. Smart Debit is the result of extensive research and development to deliver a unique debit card programme, offering an impressive array of benefits specially designed to satisfy the evolving needs of ADCB customers," added Eirvin Knox, CEO, ADCB.

"The ADCB Smart debit card programme has been specifically designed to reduce our customers' dependency on cash, which is an expensive payment medium for both retailers and banks to administer. Now, for the first time in the Middle East, there are tangible customer advantages to use a debit card instead of cash for everyday purchases. It will be like carrying your bank account in your pocket" added Knox.

The ADCB Smart Debit Card will go on-line for authorization for every transaction, ensuring that the requested transaction amount is checked against available balances held on the cardholder's bank account, to reduce any temptation for cardholders to spend beyond their means.

"We are delighted that ADCB has selected MasterCard as its global payment partner for this exciting initiative" added Thomas Edelmann, Vice President, Marketing, MasterCard International, Middle East and North Africa Region. "ADCB is the first bank in the Middle East to utilize the new MasterCard un-embossed card platform and they have added customer benefits never seen before in the Middle East. We wish ADCB every success with their truly ground-breaking Smart Debit card programme

The ADCB Smart Debit card programme will replace the existing ADCB Cashlink Maestro debit card programme, which will be withdrawn in April 2005. ADCB current and deposit account cardholders will automatically receive their new Smart Debit cards from January onwards.