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Citibank and the Liberec Region Unveil Their New Cobranded Citi Opuscard Credit Card

PRAGUE – In October 2012, Citibank Europe plc launched in co-operation with the Liberec Region the Citi Opuscard cobranded credit card - the first multifunctional credit card of its kind in the Czech Republic. The card combines the advantages of the Citi Life credit card and the regional multifunctional Opuscard, which has mainly been used in public transport to date.

Nearly 170,000 Opuscards have been issued, and it is regularly used by approximately 60,000 card holders daily, primarily in public transportation.

Thus the new Citi Opuscard credit card is focused on this use and offers its holders the ability to spread out the charge for an annual pass valued at least CZK 4,000 and applicable in the Integrated Public Transport Fare IDOL over twelve monthly instalments completely free of charge, without any mark-up and with a zero annual interest rate. In addition, Citi Opuscard holders will receive a bonus of 2% and up to 25% discounts from more than 300 partners of the Citi Club program throughout the Czech Republic on the value of every purchase.

“Citibank is the first bank in the Czech Republic to enable clients to enjoy the benefits of both a credit card and a multifunctional card in public transport. Clients from the Liberec Region will appreciate not only the option of having only one card in their wallets instead of two, but they will especially welcome the benefits and discounts that they will receive by paying with their Citi Opuscard,” said Veronika Špaňárová, Retail Bank Head at Citibank.
The functionality of Citi Opuscard is based on the existence of two chips in one plastic card, one of which is for banking and the other is multifunctional - regional.

“Today, paying with cards is a regular means of paying for goods and services,” says Jiří Hruboň, General Manager of KORID LK, spol. s.r.o., adding: “The Liberec Opuscard has up to this point only offered a limited option of making electronic payments in public transport as part of the so-called IDOL wallet, and its potential uses were very constrained. Therefore, Liberecká IS, a.s. and Korid LK, spol. s.r.o. decided to find a partner that would be able and willing to integrate the MIFARE regional contactless chip into its payment card. We are pleased that Citibank has become our partner.”


Applying for Citi Opuscards

Residents of the City of Liberec and anyone who uses public transport in the Liberec Region from the age of 21 can apply for Citi Opuscards in the Opuscard Client Centre in Liberec. There are plans for the future to expand sales to other contact points in the region. The current regional Opuscard holders can also apply for Citi Opuscard credit card online at www.citikarta.cz by completing an online form. Once an application has been completed and approved, the credit card will be sent to the client’s mailing address. Clients can then use the card as soon as they receive it and activate it. Activation is an important step that cannot be ignored. The credit card can be activated over the telephone via the CitiPhone customer line, but it will also be necessary to visit the Opuscard contact point and load the IDOL transport application onto the credit card. Upon activation of the transport functionality on their Citi Opuscard, clients will be refunded the CZK 140 fee for regional Opuscard issue. In addition, if a client makes a payment using Citi Opuscard at a retailer within 30 days from the approval of the card application, the client will automatically receive an Extra Citi Life Premium of CZK 250.

Payment for annual passes

After paying for the IDOL annual pass using their Citi Opuscard, clients can call the CitiPhone customer line and request this payment to be spread out over 12 monthly instalments. Citi Opuscard holders will also receive a refund of 2% of the value of each purchase made using their Citi Opuscard, up to CZK 2,000 each month, which will be credited to them in the form of a Citi Life Premium to their Citi Life Premium Account. The premiums can then be drawn in cash from a minimum amount of CZK 500, which can either be credited back to the card account, or used to pay the annual fees for Citi Opuscard. If, however, the credit card is used for any transactions during each billing period, Citi Opuscard holders will automatically be refunded the CZK 50 monthly fee for the administration of this credit card for the first year. The collected Premiums can then be used in other ways, as specified in the Benefits Programme for Citi credit cards. Unused Premiums are automatically rolled over to the subsequent period and have a maturity of 36 months from their acquisition.

Other benefits and discounts

All Citi Opuscard holders can receive benefits and discounts of up to 25% on goods and services purchased from partners of the Citi Club program, and the BENEFIT loyalty program will still be valid for Opuscard holders. Discounts under the Citi Club program are directly deducted from the total amount that is paid to service providers or goods retailers. Citibank cooperates with more than 300 retailers and service providers in the Citi Club loyalty program. Citi Opuscard holders can therefore receive bargain discounts at more than 900 locations throughout the Czech Republic – at many restaurants, furniture and sporting goods vendors and in popular brand name clothing stores. They can also enjoy discounts when visiting fitness centres or booking holidays.

As with all other Citi credit cards, the new Citi Opuscard also offers an up to 55-day interest-free period, or the option of selecting your own PIN free of charge. Citi Opuscard clients can also receive up to four additional cards free of charge. These cards also include the possibility to be refunded 2% of the value of each purchase paid by credit card, and to take advantage of the discounts under the Citi Club program.

More information about Citi Opuscard is available at www.citikarta.cz, the CitiPhone customer line: 233 062 222, or at the Opuscard Client Centre in Liberec.
See our new website at www.citibank.cz.