Canada's largest airline now flying high with Visa Debit payment technology
TORONTO, May 9, 2012 /CNW/ - Visa Canada and Air Canada today announced that Canadian Visa card holders will now have the convenience to purchase Air Canada tickets using Visa debit. Beginning in May, customers can take advantage of using the Visa debit card as a payment option for scheduled passenger services purchased online, through Air Canada's website www.aircanada.com, or over the phone through Air Canada Reservations.
Visa debit represents an evolution in payments technology allowing one-step online electronic debiting of funds without requiring customers to sign in to their bank account. As Canadians continue to engage in eCommerce in record numbers, Visa debit addresses the gap that currently exists for debit functionality within the online space, providing Canadians with increased accessibility and payment choice. Importantly, all purchases made with Visa debit are backed by Visa's multiple layers of security, which helps to reduce the risk of fraud through Visa's Zero Liability Policy, Verified by Visa®, E-Promise, AVS (Address Verification Service) and CVV2 (the three-digit code).
"We're pleased to announce that customers of Canada's largest airline can now enjoy the enhanced benefits of Visa debit technology, offering greater choice and convenience to passengers who may prefer to purchase their air travel using the existing funds in their bank accounts," said Sue Whitney, Head of New Products, Visa Canada. "Air Canada's adoption of Visa debit signals the increasing electronification of payments in the Canadian marketplace, and we are proud to support them in providing payment solutions that best reflect the evolving ways and places consumers are transacting."
"The introduction of Visa debit leverages new technology to increase choice and convenience for our customers. Customers purchasing online and through our call centres now have a new payment option that meets the growing usage of debit cards in Canada. We are pleased to partner with Visa Canada given their reputation for reliability," said Craig Landry, Vice President of Marketing at Air Canada.
Visa's layered approach to its fraud prevention efforts, including Zero Liability, protects card holders against fraud if a stolen Visa card is used to purchase goods in person, online, by mail or by phone. For more information about Visa's Zero Liability Policy, visit www.visa.ca.
About Visa
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world's most advanced processing networks—VisaNet—that is capable of handling more than 20,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.
About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 180 destinations on five continents. Canada's flag carrier is the 15th largest commercial airline in the world and in 2011 served more than 33 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 60 Canadian cities, 57 destinations in the United States and 63 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,290 destinations in 189 countries. In 2011, Air Canada was ranked Best International Airline in North America in a worldwide survey of more than 18 million airline passengers conducted by independent research firm Skytrax.
For Visa:
Erin Sufrin, Visa Canada, 416-860-3869, [email protected]
For Air Canada:
Isabelle Arthur (Montreal), Air Canada, 514-422-5788
Peter Fitzpatrick (Toronto), Air Canada, 416-263-5576
Angela Mah (Vancouver), Air Canada, 604-270-5741
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