Mastercard Teams With WhatsApp on Expanded Travel Services

With travel and travel spending on the rise, Mastercard is expanding its travel and lifestyle platform, the company announced Thursday (June 23).

According to a news release, the expansion comes in the form of new services that include a partnership with WhatsApp, COVID-19 alerts, and access to airport lounges during flight delays.

Mastercard Travel & Lifestyle Services is a travel planning and booking platform that gives the company’s World and World Elite cardholders access to exclusive guarantees, amenities and upgrades, along with concierge service and offers and entertainment from travel brands.

The expanded version of the platform now offers WhatsApp servicing, letting members message lifestyle managers about travel and concierge requests from their phones.

“Many of us eagerly await the chance to satisfy our love for travel, but it can be stressful to plan a trip with so many uncertainties about what traveling will look like,” said Stephanie Meltzer-Paul, executive vice president, global loyalty.

“At Mastercard, we’re here to support every step of the journey — from planning to booking to transportation to experiences in destination — so travelers can focus on what really matters. After two years of disruptions, we know that time with our loved ones is truly priceless.”

Read more: Connected Travelers Get a Side Order of Restaurant Reservations

The news comes one day after hospitality industry reservation platform OpenTable announced it was taking its offerings global through a partnership with Inline, a software firm that offers online reservation booking and table management to eateries in East Asia.

“Inline has quickly built a leadership position in select markets in Asia and is growing throughout the region,” OpenTable CEO Debby Soo said in a press release. “We’re delighted to partner with them as we expand OpenTable’s presence in the Asia-Pacific region.”

The partnership provides access to reservations and ordering at restaurants in the area to OpenTable users and gives Inline’s restaurant customers a way to reach this user base.