eBucks, South Africa’s original bank loyalty programme, is relaunching its travel offerings with huge savings. Anyone who has ever scrutinised the Ts&Cs will know how hard it is to make sense of the opaque rules of the airline industry.
eBucks has struck deals with 11 airlines – covering Africa, Europe, the UK, the Middle East, North America, the Far East and Australia – to get as much as 80% off international flights.
From October, eBucks will introduce a “bank-funded international travel benefit offering up to 80% off the full price of international flights – not just the airline base fare”.
This discount is already available for domestic flights, after it launched in November 2025.
“For too long, the South African rewards travel category has advertised one number to customers and delivered another,” says Iain Meaker, product head for eBucks Travel. He says the phrase “up to 100% off” has typically meant “up to 100% off the base fare, and you pay the rest.”
Fly away with your eBucks
“We are saying something simpler: the rand you see on screen is the rand we cover. Up to 80% off the full fare — including fuel surcharges and airport taxes — on 11 of the carriers South Africans actually fly direct. And because we have built it around the household, the more of the family that banks with us, the further the family travels.”
The new travel benefit will apply to qualifying customers who book through eBucks Travel on the FNB or RMB banking App.
The bank says industry analysis shows many South African bank rewards “advertise ‘up to 100% off,’ but apply this only to the base fare, leaving customers to pay 35% to 60% of the ticket price in surcharges and taxes out of pocket”.
However, the base fare on a typical long-haul ticket often represents only 35% to 65% of the total price, meaning headline “100% discounts” on base fare frequently translate into much lower real savings, it says.
“The practical result is that an 80% discount on the full fare will deliver more significant cash savings than a 100% discount on the base fare, despite the lower headline percentage,” eBucks believes.
It gives an illustrative example of a R15,000 economy return ticket from Johannesburg to London. Taking 100% off the base fare saves approximately R7,500, but 80% off the full fare saves approximately R12,000. These are cover taxes and surcharges that other programmes exclude, it says.
But there are qualifying requirements to get 80% off. Customers must:
- Hold a qualifying FNB or RMB Private Bank account, FNB Premier, FNB Private Clients, FNB Private Wealth, or RMB Private Bank. All FirstRand accounts in the relationship must be active and in good standing.
- Hold a qualifying FNB short-term insurance policy at Tier 1, which is active comprehensive car insurance cover.
- Hold a qualifying FNB short-term insurance policy at Tier 2, which is a comprehensive policy covering all four of car, buildings, home contents and portable possessions. OR they must have a qualifying comprehensive policy with a minimum monthly premium of R5,000.
- Book through eBucks Travel on the FNB / RMB App.
