'BLOM Touch' card released

Free phone credit with each cash transaction

BLOM Bank and mobile operator Touch have introduced a new credit card to the market.

The 'BLOM Touch' card combines the features of a Visa credit card and a number of benefits offered to subscribers of Touch's mobile network. Users will be able to choose between free talking minutes, free SMS, or free Internet service.

“Once users obtain the card, they will receive a welcome gift with an option to choose between 120 talking minutes, $120 SMS credit, or 120 MB of Internet,” said Youssef Goubran, Marketing Manager at Touch. Each month, cardholders will receive up to 60 talking minutes, or 60 SMS credit, or 60 MBs, whether they used the card or not. The card costs between $100 and $125 a year, depending if it is a Gold or Platinum card. Whenever cardholders use the BLOM Touch card for point of sales transactions, they will receive free mobile credit. For every $100 spent, the cardholder will receive 10 talking minutes, $10 SMS credit, or 10 MB.

“The free credit will be deduced from users' fixed Touch bill,” Goubran said. The card is currently available only for postpaid lines. “We are working to develop a similar facility for prepaid lines,” he said.

The card can be used locally and internationally for purchases and cash withdrawals.

Opening an account at BLOM Bank is not mandatory to get the BLOM Touch card. Payments and withdrawals can be collected at the end of each month from users' account at any other bank.

Settlements can be made in two different ways: Users can either settle the whole amount of their spending before the 10th day of each month interest-free, benefiting from a 45-day grace period (charge card), or settle a portion of their spending every month, starting from three percent of the bill with a minimum of $20 or LL25,000 (revolving card).