Australian FinTech company PokitPal and Booking.com sign global agreement

Australian FinTech company PokitPal, and Booking.com, the world leader in booking accommodation online, have signed a global agreement which gives PokitPal consumers cash back when they complete a transaction with Booking.com to further engage with the millennial and mobile-first markets.

The new global agreement means PokitPal users can receive five per cent cash back on more than 28 million accommodation listings as well as flights, car rentals and airport transfers in 228 countries. Users simply need to book via the PokitPal App to receive the cash back reward.

PokitPal CEO Gary Cobain said offering cash back to a PokitPal user’s bank card simply by using their app is a new way for online and retail brands to market to millennials.

“Millennials communicate differently, and businesses need to engage them in new ways if they want to target this demographic. PokitPal’s delivery of deals and instant notifications to more than 150,000 users across Australia means we have an effective way of communicating with and offering great Booking.com deals to young people through their phone,” Mr Cobain said.

“We have historically focused on the food and beverage sector, providing consumers with discounts and rewards at participating businesses. However, we’ve listened to our customers, who asked us to add travel and excursions to the PokitPal network.

“We are working with market leader Booking.com to ensure we deliver the experiences our customers want. This is an exciting development for PokitPal as we plan to expand internationally in 2019 and having Booking.com as a partner will really help us as we enter new markets.

This deal with Booking.com comes hot on the heels of a global agreement between PokitPal and Mastercard. The global agreement enables an enhanced rewards program, which will soon be extended to more than 10 million Mastercard customers in Australia.

“Mastercard holders will simply need to link their existing card to the PokitPal app and when they make a purchase at a participating business, they will receive an immediate notification on their phone with details of the associated reward,” Mr Cobain said.

Nearly three-quarters of 30,000 online respondents across 63 countries in the 2016 Nielsen Global Loyalty-Sentiment Survey, said loyalty programs make them more likely to continue doing business with a company, with two-thirds saying they shop more frequently and spend more at retailers with loyalty programs.