The Asante Global Card, launched in August 2026 through a partnership between Visa, Kenya Airways and Absa Bank Kenya, is designed to connect everyday spending with travel and lifestyle rewards. The card allows customers to earn Asante Rewards Points on purchases, which can be redeemed for Kenya Airways flights, seat upgrades and other benefits, alongside access to selected premium travel experiences.

In this interview with TechArena, John Njoroge, Visa’s Country Manager for Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan, and Julius Thairu, Kenya Airways’ Chief Commercial and Customer Officer, discuss changing consumer payment habits, the evolution of airline loyalty programmes and how partnerships between financial institutions, payment networks and airlines are shaping the future of travel rewards in Kenya.

  • What does the launch of the Asante global Card tell you about how consumer payment and travel behaviours are evolving in Kenya?

The launch tells us three things about how consumer behaviour is evolving. First, the Kenyan consumer has become more sophisticated in what they expect from a card, moving beyond wanting one that simply works to wanting one that reflects their lifestyle, rewards how they spend, and travels with them wherever they go. Visa’s own research consistently finds that rewards and lifestyle benefits now sit alongside acceptance and security as top considerations for affluent Kenyans choosing a card. Second, the boundaries between payments, banking and travel are dissolving. Consumers want products that integrate these categories rather than treat them as separate services. Third, the market has matured to the point where a locally issued, globally accepted premium product is not only possible but expected.

Behind those shifts is a clear behavioural picture. Digital payments are displacing cash across categories where cash once dominated, cross-border spending is growing faster than domestic, and travel is increasingly central to how affluent Kenyans define their lifestyle. VFS Global reports that visa applications by Kenyans travelling abroad grew by 44% in 2025. The Asante Global Card is designed for exactly that consumer.

  • As consumers increasingly use cards for everyday purchases as well as international travel, how is Visa working with banks, airlines and other partners to create relevant payment and rewards experiences for customers? 

Visa’s role in this space is to sit at the intersection of consumer, bank, merchant and, in this case, airline, bringing together the payment infrastructure, the security backbone and the rewards ecosystem that make a product like the Asante Global Card possible. The technology behind that collaboration matters as much as the commercial arrangement. Visa Advanced Authorisation screens every transaction in real time using artificial intelligence and machine learning, tokenisation protects card credentials across digital and mobile transactions, and increasingly, AI is being woven into the payment experience itself to anticipate customer needs rather than simply process transactions. Visa’s 2026 Stay Secure study found that 67% of Kenyans would feel more secure receiving real-time alerts from their bank or payment app when something suspicious happens on their account, which is exactly the kind of protection this technology stack is built to deliver.

The Asante Global Card is one example of how this looks in practice, combining Visa’s network and premium benefits ecosystem with Kenya Airways’ rewards proposition and Absa’s banking infrastructure. The broader pattern is that Visa is increasingly working with a wider set of partners across banks, airlines, retailers and technology platforms to build products that reflect how customers actually live. As consumer behaviour becomes more integrated across categories, so too must the products that serve them, and that is where partnership-led innovation becomes essential.

    • What was the thinking behind Kenya Airways’ decision to introduce the Asante Global Card in partnership with Visa and Absa, and what market gap were you looking to address?

    The primary thinking was to shift the traditional airline loyalty model away from strictly flight-based accumulation and integrate it directly into our customers’ daily lives. The gap we are addressing is the need for everyday lifestyle rewards; by collaborating with Visa and Absa, we created a proposition where customers earn points on spending they already do, bringing them closer to their next journey without waiting until they fly to earn.

    • The card allows customers to earn Asante Rewards Points not only when they travel, but also through everyday spending. How does this change the role of Asante within Kenya Airways’ customer loyalty strategy?

    This evolution completely changes our relationship with our members. Traditionally, airline loyalty was purely transactional—you fly, you earn, you redeem. The Asante Global Card extends this relationship into frequent, everyday engagement. It transforms loyalty into a broader ecosystem that recognises our customers, gives them more choice, and keeps them continuously engaged with the Kenya Airways brand through routine activities like grocery shopping, dining, and buying fuel.

    • ⁠Kenya has a growing population of consumers travelling for both business and leisure. What are you seeing in terms of how Kenyan travellers’ expectations are changing?

    Consumers increasingly expect value, convenience, comfort, and seamless integration across their entire travel journey. 

    Customers no longer view travel as just the flight itself; they expect their everyday purchasing to actively work toward their next travel reward. Furthermore, they heavily prioritize the premium airport and lifestyle benefits that remove friction from modern travel.

    • How does Kenya Airways see the relationship between payments, customer loyalty and travel evolving over the next few years?

    We see these three elements becoming completely intertwined through co-brand partnerships. Loyalty is moving beyond rewarding isolated travel transactions to capturing everyday consumer spending.

    Over the next few years, payment cards will serve as the primary bridge to travel, where consistent daily spending automatically and continuously builds a user’s rewards balance.

    • The card comes with a number of benefits. How important is the wider travel experience, beyond the flight itself, in retaining and engaging Asante members?

    It is incredibly important. Benefits like lounge access, priority boarding, and additional baggage allowances are specifically designed to improve the overall travel experience by providing tangible comfort, recognition, and convenience at the airport.

    Our objective isn’t simply to reward expenditure, but to combine rewards with experiential benefits that elevate the entire journey from departure to arrival.

    • Asante already has a significant role within Kenya Airways’ relationship with its customers. What can customers expect to see next as the airline continues to develop the programme and the benefits available through it? 

    “Looking ahead, Kenya Airways is focused on the strategic expansion of our loyalty network. Kenya Airways is actively establishing high-value partnerships that will broaden the program’s utility, providing members with versatile avenues to earn, convert, and redeem points across both aviation and complementary lifestyle sectors.”

    As payment experiences, customer loyalty and travel become increasingly interconnected, the Asante Global Card reflects a broader shift towards rewarding customers beyond individual transactions or flights. With Visa’s global payments network, Kenya Airways’ Asante Rewards Programme and Absa’s banking infrastructure underpinning the offering, the partnership aims to make everyday spending a more direct route to travel and lifestyle benefits.

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