Visa and Barclays Bank Egypt recently sent four lucky cardholders and their companions to the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009 which took place 14-28 June in Johannesburg, South Africa. Participants were automatically entered into a draw for the FIFA package when they spent LE 100 on their Barclays Premier League, Classic or Gold Visa Card, or LE 300 on their Visa Electron card during the promotion period from 1 March – 31 May. In addition, each new application for a Visa Classic Card or Visa Gold Card provided Barclay’s customers with one entry and three entries to the draw, respectively.
“As an Official FIFA Partner, Visa is excited to provide Barclays Visa and Visa Electron cardholders with the chance to witness the FIFA experience first-hand,” said Tarek Elhousseiny, Visa’s General Manager for North and West Africa. “Barclays Visa cardholders enjoy the many benefits of their Visa cards as a convenient and secure way to make purchases every day. Promotions with our valued partners is just one way in which Visa rewards cardholders and we’re looking forward to offering more FIFA promotions in the future”
The winners, whose purchases ranged from LE 185 to LE 24,885, were chosen at random during a draw held at the Barclays Bank Egypt head office in early June. Waleed Aziz, a freelance interior designer based in Cairo, was chosen as one of the four winners. “I’m very excited to have the chance to travel to Johannesburg to attend the match. I use my Visa card regularly for purchases, but I was surprised when I found out I won,” said Aziz. “For me, Visa is a magic solution. I use my card nearly every day to make large purchases for supplies. It is so much more convenient and safer than carrying around large amounts of cash. I also use my Visa card for smaller, random purchases and wherever Visa is accepted.”
The FIFA Confederation Cup packages provide the four winners and one companion each with roundtrip airfare to Johannesburg for 4 days and 3 nights from 26-29 June at a four--star hotel. They will two Category 2 match tickets, pre-match hospitality, Visa FIFA-themed merchandise, a US$ 150 Visa pre-paid card, among other benefits.
“At Barclays, we greatly value our customers and work closely with our partners to offer the most exclusive and unique promotions," said Bassel Kelada, Consumer Banking Director at Barclays Bank Egypt. “We are pleased to partner with Visa once again to provide our valued cardholders with the unique opportunity to participate in one of FIFA’s most prestigious events.”
The FIFA Confederations Cup is held every four years. In the 2009 edition, the continental champions from South America, North and Central America and the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and Asia will join hosts South Africa and the current FIFA World Cup champion, Italy, in competing for the trophy. The competing teams are Brazil, Egypt, Iraq, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain and the USA.
Winning cardholders are rewarded for using their Visa and Visa Electron cards during the campaign periods.
