Kiwi, India’s pioneering credit-on-UPI fintech platform, is revolutionizing travel convenience by becoming the first UPI App to introduce complimentary airport lounge access across 22 airports in the country. To offer customers this travel benefit, Kiwi partners with Collinson International, a global leader in the provision of airport experiences, loyalty and customer engagement solutions, to provide access to over 45 premium airport lounges in India through their LoungeKey™ program. This feature comes at a time when travel aspirations of Indians are soaring and users can look forward to premium perks that are directly linked to their spends.
Under this program, Kiwi users will now be eligible for one complimentary airport lounge access for every ₹50,000 spent via Credit Card on UPI on the Kiwi platform. The process is totally digital. A user would need to book lounge access through the Kiwi app, and then, they could generate a pass or QR code for scanning on entering the lounge for availing of the service. This feature bridges the gap, be it business or leisure, where routine travel becomes luxurious by making factual activity toward aspirational privileges.
The next feature added would be extending the benefit, in this case, to friends, family, or companions Kiwi would develop to take forward. This could also place it in the frontrunner positions with regards to a holistic life-style services integration all in a single platform of doing so within the context of “superapp,” an entity combining various life style benefits offered from a one app.
At Kiwi, our vision has always been to redefine what a payments platform can offer. With this pioneering feature, we aim to integrate premium travel privileges into everyday life while encouraging aspirational and responsible spending. As the first UPI app to offer lounge access, Kiwi is setting a new benchmark in delivering convenience, innovation, and lifestyle value to our users,” said Mohit Bedi, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Kiwi.
Sumit Prakash, Country Director, India and South Asia, Collinson International said, “Collinson International’s latest research indicates that travel is one of the major drivers of consumer expenditure, with a ‘travel resonance’ that is strong among Indian respondents. In fact, travel ranks as one of the highest expenses for respondents in India, accounting for nearly one-third of annual expenditure.”. Given rising travel demand, along with robust consumer preference for travel-related benefits, brands across sectors, and particularly in financial services, will have greater chances to upgrade the value proposition with their customers. We are glad to partner with Kiwi, which offers one of the highly valued travel benefits to its customers, and look forward to their entry into our network of lounges across Indian airports.
As travel bounces back at pace in India, Indians are putting an increased emphasis on customized travel experiences that bring value to their lives. A new Collinson International research found that nearly half of respondents in India (44%) rank airport lounge access as one of the most attractive travel-related rewards – ahead of security fast-track (9%) and airport transfers (7%). With Kiwi’s latest initiative incorporating access to airport lounges into their rewards programme, Kiwi users can now elevate every journey into something special.
This lounge access benefit is now live and can be availed at major airports across the country. Users can check their eligibility, track their spending, and book their access directly via the Kiwi app.
