When UAE residents Sawsan Abou, an Iraqi national, and Dr. Mustafa Hatim, an Indian national, dined from popular restaurants Chili’s and The Pizza Company, they had no idea they would be named the winners of family trips for four to Disneyland® Resort Paris courtesy of Visa, the world’s leading payment solutions provider. The winners were selected in a raffle draw for Visa’s recently-concluded promotion in which home diners using their Visa credit or debit card when ordering from Chili’s or The Pizza Company had the chance to win the family holidays of a lifetime, valued at US$10,000.
The promotion, which marked the UAE launch of credit and debit card payments in the home deliveries segment, was designed to introduce home diners to the convenience and safety of paying by using their Visa card. Every convenient Visa card transaction made for home delivery from Chili’s or The Pizza Company automatically entered home diners into a draw to win the family holidays, one from each restaurant. The two winners will each be able to enjoy a family trip for four to Disneyland® Resort Paris, inclusive of flights, four nights accommodation for two adults and two children, airport transfers, park entrance tickets, in addition to 1,000 Euros in spending money.
Commenting on his winning, Dr. Mustafa Hatim, a physician, said: “My family and I are very excited about our prize and are looking forward to a holiday together. Winning has come as a great surprise as this is the first time I have won anything, especially one this special. My sincere thanks go to Visa and The Pizza Company for their generosity in this unique promotion.”
The second winner in the promotion Sawsan Abou, an interior designer in Dubai said she dines regularly at Chili’s and always uses her Visa card to pay. “I use my Visa card regularly instead of cash as it allows me to better manage my budget and I don’t have to queue at the ATM to withdraw cash. I enjoy dining at Chili’s and now with their new facility, I can enjoy the convenience of ordering using a Visa card and dining at home or work. From now on, I am certain whenever I use my Visa card or order from Chili’s I will remember the family vacation to Disneyland and the fond memories it will surely bring.”
By introducing General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology, a mobile payment terminal, to the home deliveries segment in the UAE, Visa has brought a new level of convenience to home diners who previously had to pay for orders using cash. GPRS technology allows Visa card transactions to be authorised on site, regardless of location, eliminating the need for a fixed telephone line and providing greater flexibility and security for Visa cardholders.
Commenting on the announcement of the winners, Stephen Coakley, Marketing Communications Manager for Visa International in the Middle East said: “We are pleased to announce the winners of our promotion which was designed to introduce home diners to the convenience and safety of paying by using their Visa card. We sincerely hope they enjoy their family vacations.”
“This promotion clearly demonstrates that it pays to use Visa and cardholders have access to special privileges and rewards. Thanks to Visa’s world-wide acceptance, cardholders can make secure purchases anywhere and we continuously strive to expand our merchant network further. Currently we have over 24 million merchants around the world who accept Visa cards and we will continue to explore new ways to bring the convenience of card payments to every segment and merchant category. With the introduction of new technologies, such as GPRS, we hope to make purchases using Visa cards possible virtually anywhere.”
About Visa
Visa connects cardholders, merchants and financial institutions through the world’s largest electronic payments network. Visa products allow buyers and sellers to conduct commerce with ease and confidence in both the physical and virtual worlds. Visa is committed to the sustained growth of electronic payment systems to support the needs of all stakeholders and to drive economic growth.
Visa products currently generate more than $4 trillion in sales volume worldwide. Visa has unsurpassed acceptance at more than 24 million locations worldwide including one million ATMs. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.
