First National Bank (FNB) is all about giving its customers additional benefits. eBucks, discounts on software, rebates on massive petrol prices — it’s all designed to make you like them. The bank has a new batch of please-like-me stuff heading in customers’ direction.
These new benefits are along the lines of previous offerings. The tagline for its announcement today is ‘Beyond Banking’, and signals how FNB is looking to be useful for more than just financial services. As if that wasn’t obvious before.
Listening to FNB
FNB has teamed up with a whole range of new services, in a bid to make banking with the institution more attractive. African audiobook service BiB is one of the bank’s new partners. So is QuickBus, which is a little like Safair for bus travel. Discount service The Entertainer is expanding a little. Then there’s tutoring app ExtraMarks, smart home brand Ring (which is basically Amazon), and Xiaomi also on the list. Access to these is via the FNB banking app — as with every other service the brand offers.
ExtraMarks sees FNB customers accessing a “…complimentary subscription for interactive learning support from Grade R to 12 valued at over R2000.” This can be accessed from the eBucks tab in the FNB app.
As far as BiB goes, First National’s customers receive access to a batch of free audiobooks, in a range of African languages. Additionally, the first 30,000 users will get their first paid-for book for free. Finally, a subscription to the audiobook service, which will cost R160/m, provides four credits that can be used to redeem two to four items from the library.
QuickBus access allows customers to compare bus ticket prices via FNB’s app. You can do that via the service’s website, but why click another link? It’ll provide access to more than 6,500 African destinations, and FNB’s customers will also be eligible for discounts — perhaps the most important bit of this whole thing. Trips can be edited or refunded via the app.
Read More: How to use FNB’s virtual cards to get an extra R2 per litre of petrol back in eBucks
FNB is also partnering with Arc Beauty stores. Customers will be able to buy items from the company, using eBucks. Premier customers get up to 15% back on purchases, while Private and higher FNB customers get up to 30% back from their spend.
The bank’s Connect brand, which handles mobile connectivity, is launching wireless LTE packages. It looks to be a bring-your-own-device offering. Those devices are smartphones, or mobile WiFi routers. As far as pricing goes…
- 5GB at R89 per for individual customers, R84 for business clients
- 10GB at R139 for individual customers, R130 for business clients
- 20GB at R199 for individual customers, R190 for business clients
- 30GB at R299 for individual customers, R280 for business clients
- 50GB at R449 for individual customers, R420 for business clients
Then, the bank is also launching smart home devices on its platform. That’s where Ring and Xiaomi come in. Ring handles the security side, while the Chinese tech-maker will offer more general-purpose gadgets. As with other tech products on the platform, it’s just a monthly payment over 24 months. Among those devices? That Xiaomi scooter Stuff recently reviewed. Sorry, Duncan.