Japan’s largest credit card issuer selects Hopper to power new travel booking portal
Following recent partnership announcements with Lotte Card in Korea and Air Asia MOVE, HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions) has sealed an agreement with Sumitomo Mitsui Card Co., Ltd. (SMCC), the credit card company of SMBC Group and the largest credit card issuer in Japan, to create a travel loyalty portal for SMCC customers.
Saying this is another step in HTS’ expansion in APAC and marks HTS’ first financial partner in Japan, Hopper says the booking portal, slated to launch next year, will allow cardholders and reward members to book flights, accommodations and car rentals with added flexibility and options.
“It will be designed to offer the best value to SMCC cardholders and rewards members, as the company aims to attract new users and increase loyalty among the existing customer base,” says the HTS statement.
HTS is the B2B division of the global travel platform, Hopper, which uses data to bring transparency, flexibility, and savings to travellers globally. HTS says it now accounts for two-thirds of the Hopper business.
“HTS is uniquely positioned to power SMCC’s travel portal and bring industry-leading travel booking options to their tens of millions of cardholders and reward members,” said Dakota Smith, President and Co-Founder of Hopper. “We are thrilled to be partnering with SMCC on this endeavor and look forward to the portal’s launch.”
SMCC selected HTS for its entry into the travel market due to the travel platform’s industry-leading flexibility products, modern e-commerce platform, comprehensive travel agency, and deep understanding of data.
“At SMCC, we are focused on providing value to our customers in all areas, including areas outside traditional financial offerings,” said Yoshiro Kagata, Managing Executive Officer at SMCC. “Partnering with HTS to power this portal will give our cardholders a new way to book travel in the Japanese market and get the most value out of their loyalty benefits.”