Riyadh Air, Mastercard partner on travel rewards

Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s newest national carrier, has signed a partnership with Mastercard to build a digital-first payments and rewards ecosystem as the start-up moves from a soft launch of Riyadh–London flights to its official debut in April 2026.

Positioning itself as a digital-native airline with no legacy systems, Riyadh Air plans to co-create an integrated financial and payment platform spanning consumer spending, airport experiences and B2B travel payments. A core element of the deal is the development of Riyadh Air‑branded Mastercard credit and prepaid cards, designed to turn everyday spending into flights, upgrades, lifestyle rewards and exclusive experiences.

Set to roll out to Saudi residents in late 2026, the digital-first cards will be fully embedded in the Riyadh Air mobile app, enabling guests to apply, activate, manage features and track rewards in one place.

Beyond consumer products, Riyadh Air will become the first airline globally to introduce an airline‑branded virtual card programme for travel trade settlements, aimed at improving efficiency, security and reconciliation for travel intermediaries worldwide.

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The agreement also covers a jointly operated centre of excellence to design and scale new solutions using advanced technologies, shared data insights and talent development, supporting Saudi Arabia’s ambition to build Riyadh into a global aviation hub.

Dr Dimitrios Dosis, President, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Mastercard, said the partnership creates an "integrated digitally-native ecosystem that delivers value at every touchpoint, for guests, travel agents, airlines and hospitality partners", while reinforcing Saudi’s role as a global travel hub. 

Riyadh Air’s tie-up with Mastercard builds on an MoU with Huawei to integrate the tech giant’s digital capabilities across the traveller journey, giving the airline a platform to build tailored campaigns, drive app adoption and localise digital services for key source markets, including China, where the carrier is targeting mobile‑first, highly personalised engagement.