Press release -
Discovery Bank launches first-of-its-kind integrated travel booking platform
Johannesburg, 29 March 2022 — Discovery Bank recently launched Vitality Travel, a fully integrated travel booking service with unprecedented discounts and simplified trip management. The comprehensive travel offering is the world’s first shared-value travel platform which channels behavioural savings into the greatest possible savings on flights, holiday accommodation, car hire and holiday packages.
“Vitality Travel further expands the value clients get as they continue to monetise positive health and financial behaviours,” says Hylton Kallner, CEO of Discovery Bank.
“The new travel offering combines Discovery Bank’s digital payments and platform capabilities with Vitality’s rewards expertise and partner network to access a world of travel deals in a uniquely convenient way.”
Vitality Travel provides clients with a unified platform to view, book and change flights, holiday accommodation and car hire. Clients can easily compare travel prices across the market and benefit from unparalleled discounts with a wide range of travel partners. Bookings are payable directly from a client’s Discovery Bank account or with Miles which clients get from managing their health and money well.
Vitality Travel enables Discovery Bank clients to effortlessly book – with personalised discounts – directly through the Discovery Bank website, where they have access to all local and international airlines, which currently includes five local and three international airline partners at discounted rates, as well as discounts at over one thousand holiday accommodation properties and car hire services, and soon, holiday packages as well.
“We are building an integrated travel ecosystem to cover every aspect of planning your travel experience within Discovery Bank, from bookings to the Priority Fast Track service at the airport and lounge access. Our recently launched Forex accounts provide real-time access to foreign currencies in the palm of your hand with a multi-currency card to use while travelling abroad, and we will soon offer visa applications and travel insurance integration,” Kallner says.
Managing travel bookings easily
Vitality Travel provides access to all airlines, with discounts of between 10% and 75% on a broader flight partner network – including over 40 local and regional flight destinations with new partners FlySafair, Airlink and LIFT for local flights, in addition to existing partners kulula.com and British Airways operated by Comair.
International flight partners Emirates, British Airways and Qantas, with discounts of up to 75%, are all seamlessly integrated into the platform.
Clients get up to 25% off on over a thousand accommodation options, from hotels and apartments to one-of-a-kind game lodges locally.
Discovery Bank clients also get up to 25% off car hire and up to 15% off holiday packages, including premium World Leisure Holidays properties, Contiki Tours, and Royal Caribbean cruises.
Travel rewards are based on engagement in Vitality programmes, Discovery products, and monthly qualifying card spend. And as a special introductory offer, all Vitality Travel booking fees will be waived until the end of April 2022
Furthermore, clients will also soon have access to a digital vault to store important documents, get free travel insurance and buy additional top-up travel cover when booking international flights with a Discovery Bank card.
Additional exclusive travel benefits are also available to qualifying Discovery Bank Black and Purple cardholders to use the Discovery Bank Priority Fast Track at OR Tambo and Cape Town International airports and to access over 1200 airport lounges globally.
Dinesh Govender, CEO of Discovery Vitality, says that Vitality is known for making millions of people healthier through smartly designed incentives and improved access to wellness facilities.
“We introduced the first discounted flight rewards for Vitality members who managed their health well 22 years ago, in 2000. Our travel partnerships with British Airways, kulula.com and Tsogo Sun were some of our biggest and most exciting product innovations in our history. Travel rewards are among our most popular benefits, with our Vitality members booking nearly 1.5 million flights a year.”
“The beauty of Vitality Travel is that it’s fully secure and easy to use, with all your travel needs looked after through a single platform. It really makes it possible to go everywhere and to have the ultimate and most affordable travel experience, as a reward for your positive behaviour,” Govender adds.
How it works
To make a booking or simply try out Vitality Travel, clients can log in to the Discovery Bank Online Banking website on a desktop, and select Travel in the top menu, or select Book now on the Travel Rewards tile on their dashboard. Clients can access the Discovery Bank website log in via www.discovery.co.za or directly at www.discovery.bank. Clients will need to have their cellphone with them to authenticate and secure their online web access.
“Each Discovery business is driven by our core purpose to make people healthier and share value with our clients. This is reflected in Vitality Travel. Our vision is to make travelling, for any purpose, more accessible, enjoyable, and affordable – while in turn incentivising behaviours that are good for the individual and the Bank,” Kallner said.
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About Discovery Bank
Discovery Bank is part of Discovery Limited, a financial services organisation that operates in the healthcare, life assurance, short-term insurance, savings and investment and wellness in over 35 markets. Discovery Bank is fundamentally designed differently through its shared-value model. Clients create value as they manage their money well, which Discovery Bank shares back with them through better interest rates, deep discounts, and significant rewards. The overall outcome is that clients experience greater financial wellbeing, it reduces the risk of defaults for Discovery Bank making the business more sustainable, and it addresses large-scale challenges, such as increased savings, that benefit society at large. Behaviour change and rewards are enabled through Vitality Money, an AI-Powered programme on the Discovery Bank app that gives clients an understanding of behaviours that influence their financial wellbeing and how to manage their money. The better clients do, the higher their Vitality Money status and the greater the value they receive.
About Discovery Vitality
Vitality is the largest global platform for behaviour change, underpinning the insurance products of leading insurers worldwide, with more than 20 million members in over 35 markets. The Vitality model, established by Discovery Limited in South Africa, has been incentivising behaviour change amongst its clients for over 25 years. Vitality creates shared value by combining behavioural economics, clinical science, and financial incentives to encourage and reward members for taking steps to improve their health. The model began with a focus on health and wellness, and has expanded to include short-term insurance, investments and financial wellness. For more information, please visit the Vitality website or email the Discovery Media Relations team.
