B.I.G. GLOBAL LOYALTY PROGRAMME LAUNCHED

KUALA LUMPUR, 14 November 2011 – An innovative global loyalty programme that allows members to earn points when travelling and shopping, and redeem the accumulated points for exciting rewards including flight seats was launched here today.

The programme, called BIG, enables members to earn loyalty points called ‘BIGGIES’ when shopping with the programme partners worldwide including AirAsia and the Tune Group of Companies. Other BIG partners include Indosat in Indonesia and CentralWorld in Thailand.Peter Miller, CEO Tune Money/ Tan Sri Tony Fernandes GCEO AirAsia and Co-founder Tune Group/ Johan Aris, CEO BIG

As a global loyalty programme, BIG membership is borderless and open to anyone aged 2 years and above, anywhere in the world. Each member, nicknamed ‘BIG Shot’, is issued with a BIG card carrying the cardholder’s name and membership identification number, or BIG Shot ID.

In Malaysia, the BIG card doubles up as a BIG Visa Prepaid card, which cardholders can reload at all major banks or online at BIG’s website tune2big.com. Cardholders can now shop at millions of merchants worldwide where Visa is accepted, both online and over the counter. BIG Visa Prepaid is eligible for those aged 18 and above.

AirAsia Group CEO and Tune Group Co-Founder Tan Sri Tony Fernandes says: “The BIG launch today is a major breakthrough as we seek to reward our loyal guests and customers. BIG has certainly given a new definition to frequent flying and loyalty programmes as we know them. Merchants and partners should view BIG as an extended marketing and loyalty arm in further growing the businesses and market shares.”
Tony adds: “The greatest feature of BIG is the redemption of flight seats. However, AirAsia and our other related businesses are just some of BIG’s participating merchants and partners. Members can look forward to a whole new world of rewards and benefits when they shop using their BIG card. It’s about turning your everyday lifestyle spending into rewards and before you know it, you are ready to fly to your dream destination.”

The BIG loyalty programme is managed by Think Big Digital Sdn Bhd, a 50:50 joint-venture between the world’s best low cost airline AirAsia and Tune Money, the financial services arm of the Tune Group of Companies.

Tune Money CEO Peter Miller says: “We have termed our target market for BIG as the ‘young at heart’ who would like to fly for free. Essentially, a card for the now majority of consumers who are comfortable transacting online such as booking AirAsia flights and would like the opportunity to earn free flights and more from their online and other transactions.”

Peter adds: “In keeping with the Malaysian government’s Economic Transformation Programme, the Visa-enabled BIG card is very well-suited to the modern cashless consumers as it offers reduced risk for online consumers compared with the traditional cards; for travellers they can simply load up their card before they fly as opposed to carrying wads of foreign currency with them and why pay cash when you can pay with your card and earn free flights, free hotel stays, ‘Big Shot’ privileges and so much more.”

Stuart Tomlinson, Country Manager, Malaysia, Visa says: “Visa is proud to partner AirAsia and Tune Money to launch the BIG Visa Prepaid card in Malaysia. Visa Prepaid cards are versatile and provide cardholders with ease of use and widespread acceptance. Malaysians can also use the BIG Visa Prepaid card as a safer and more convenient payment option while on holiday and earn points for their next trip with every transaction.”

BIG was soft-launched a month ago and has so far received 60,000 applications. BIG will be further promoted using social networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Providing further details on how the BIG loyalty programme works, BIG CEO Johan Aris Ibrahim says: “Earning points or BIGGIES is simple. Just present your BIG card at Visa merchants and BIG partners or quote your BIG Shot ID when you shop online and BIGGIES will automatically be loaded into your account. For example, each RM2 transaction with BIG partners like AirAsia, AirAsia Megastore, AirAsiaRedTix, AirAsia Go and Tune Hotels will earn you 1 BIGGIE.”

“For the BIG Visa Prepaid card in Malaysia, each RM2 transaction paid on the card will generate 1 BIGGIE, while selected erchants will give double the points. This is on top of the points you earned as a BIG Shot so that means you can earn even more BIGGIES at a faster rate,” explains Johan.

There are 1,500 BIG partners with more than 3,000 retail outlets around the globe where Big Shots can collect double BIGGIES, both online and offline. On top of that BIG has also set up an online shopping mall at shopbig.tune2big.com, featuring more than 1,000 cross-border global merchants allowing BIG Shots to earn BIGGIES.

Johan adds: “Apart from collecting BIGGIES, our strategic partners also enable their current members to convert their existing loyalty points into BIGGIES, providing them a wider option for redemption.”

A BIG Shot can start redeeming from as low as 400 BIGGIES. Those with insufficient BIGGIES have the option of topping up with cash.

For more information about BIG and to sign up as a BIG Shot, visit tune2big.com.