eBucks, the rewards programme offered by FNB and RMB Private Bank, recently launched its new Online Travel Booking Engine increasing its offering to include more travel service providers and travel products.

"Travel remains one of the favourite redemption categories on our programme. As the demand for travel products continues to increase amongst eBucks members and members becoming increasingly comfortable booking their travel online, we required an online travel booking engine that could not only accommodate the additional volume but also offer additional travel options," says eBucks CEO, Jolandé Duvenage. "Although we have a travel desk that can assist with any travel request, our previous online travel booking engine was limited to bookings for kulula.com, Emirates and Avis. Now customers are able to include bookings for additional domestic carriers like British Airways and South African Airways as well as domestic and international accommodation bookings".

eBucks members can already pay either in full using eBucks or Rands for their travel or part-pay, using a combination of both eBucks and Rands. When paying in eBucks, discounts of up to 40% on kulula.com and Emirates flights are also available on the new Online Travel Booking Engine to qualifying members. If a particular group is travelling together, they all qualify for the booking members' discount, provided they hold a qualifying FNB product – even if the discount is 40%.

The new eBucks Online Travel Booking Engine can also be used by both FNB and RMB Private Bank customers, even if they are not eBucks Rewards members and is being managed in cooperation with Comair who will service all bookings in conjunction with eBucks Travel.

For Iain Meaker, Commercial Distribution Executive, the new engine was a way for Comair to extend the kulula.com partnership into other travel areas. "It just made sense," says Meaker, "We wanted an opportunity to leverage our travel deals and technology for the benefit of eBucks, FNB and RMB Private Bank clients and this was the perfect mechanism."

"Booking online means increased convenience, competitive prices and more flexibility over the entire travel booking experience. We've enjoyed a relationship with Comair for a number of years and it's great to be able to reinforce it in this way." concludes Duvenage.

The eBucks Travel Booking Engine was developed by OpenJaw Technologies in Dublin, Ireland. It displays real-time pricing and availability. eBucks Travel is accredited by the Association of South African Travel Agents (ASATA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

About eBucks:

eBucks, the rewards programme offered by First National Bank (FNB) and RMB Private Bank, is acknowledged as one of South Africa's leading rewards programmes with highly active members spending in excess of 80% of the eBucks earned in any given month.