[INTERVIEW] National Bank – Credit Cards Solutions & Strategies

Today, we are featuring Mathieu Gaudreau, Product Manager for Credit Cards Solutions & Strategies at National Bank. He shares with us the re-branding of their World Elite and Platinum cards. Thank you Mathieu for taking the time to answer our questions! 

1) Please tell us about yourself and your role with National Bank.

I joined National Bank in 2010 and have been a Product Manager for almost 5 years where I now oversee the strategies for our personal and business credit cards portfolio. I am therefore responsible for offering competitive and best-in-class products on the market while meeting the needs of our clients. I plan and create strategies around the launches of new products, closing of products and I also manage the evolution (pricing, earn, travel credit, etc.) of our existing credit cards.

2) Looks like National Bank has re-branded its World Elite and Platinum cards. Can you please tell us more?

It’s no longer a secret here, but we are currently working very hard on updating our World Elite and Platinum cards. Changes we had wanted to make for some time, but had been postponed by the pandemic. With the resumption of travel, we therefore believe that it was the right time to do so and we’re pretty excited to officially launch them. In order to have competitive products on the market and which meet the changing needs of our clients, we are going to update the way of accumulating points as of September 1st 2022. World Elite customer will be able to receive up to 5 points on certain expenses and up to 2 points for Platinum customers, but we are also changing the insurance coverage with the addition of a mobile device insurance for both cards. In addition, while the travel credit on our World Elite is already flexible, we are reviewing it to offer even more choices of eligible expenses, being one of the most competitive advantages on the market. You can find more information on our website.

3) National Bank offers its own internal rewards program, what makes it different from other internal rewards programs (such as RBC Avion or American Express Membership Rewards)?

I believe that one of the strengths of the National Bank rewards program is its flexibility. Cardholders can choose among several means of exchange ranging from travel credit, merchandise, gift cards, travel deals and financial products meaning that everyone can find a way to reward themselves in their own way and needs. For example, they can choose to reinvest their points directly in their own finances (Heloc payment, mortgage payment, RRSP contribution and much more) and the program also allows our holders to make a human gesture towards several causes, for example via the Red Cross or the Breast Cancer Foundation.

4) What else can we look forward to with National Bank? Or what are you working on that you can share with us?

I can’t tell you exactly, but we have a lot of initiatives planned in the next few years that will make our customers and future customers very happy too. However, since our promo ended on August 31st 2022, I can give you a scoop that we will be back very soon with a huge promo for our World Elite and Platinum cards.

5) Any closing thoughts?

Our mission is pretty simple. We want to simplify and evolve our credit card solutions to deliver market-leading product features and functionality that drives engagement on our cards while delivering value back to our clients and ultimately, to meet their needs. The changes that we are going to launch in September fit precisely into the mission of our team and we are also completing our credit cards offering even better, which already offers competitive products for several and specific needs wanted by our clients. This is the first step in our journey to continue improving the offering of our credit cards.