Card benefits are a powerful way to build engagement and loyalty, but much of their value can go unused if people don’t know what they have or how to use them.

With Mastercard Max, a new AI-powered benefits assistant now available globally, issuers across Asia Pacific have an opportunity to help customers get more from their cards. Taking the guesswork out of card benefits, Mastercard Max helps cardholders find relevant benefits and understand how to use them when they matter most, through the issuer’s own digital channels.

Imagine you're planning a trip. As you book travel, Mastercard Max identifies the travel benefits and experiences available through your card. On the way to the airport, it can remind you about airport lounge access or Fast Track services, explain what's included and guide you on how to use them. Once you arrive, it can highlight nearby dining, entertainment or other eligible experiences, helping you get more value from your card wherever your journey takes you.

Issuers can embed it directly into their digital channels, giving cardholders access to their benefits alongside the banking and card services they already use. The experience evolves with the customer, and its recommendations adjust to their card, eligibility, location and context. For issuers, this turns benefits from a static list into a more dynamic cardholder experience.

C6 Bank, one of Brazil's leading digital banks, is among the first issuers bringing Mastercard Max to cardholders. SNB Group, Nedbank, I&M Bank, and Attijariwafa Bank are also working to offer the benefits assistant to their customers. Together, this will provide access across multiple markets, reflecting growing interest in more intuitive and personalized benefits experiences. Additionally, Citi is exploring opportunities to bring Mastercard Max to its customers in Singapore and Hong Kong SAR.

Turning benefits into experiences people actually use

Mastercard research reveals that 68% of affluent millennials say they would use their card more if they knew more about their available benefits. Across Asia Pacific, cardholders are also increasingly looking for rewards and benefits that reflect their lifestyles, interests and spending preferences.

“The opportunity for issuers is to make the benefits already available to cardholders much more useful in their everyday lives. Rather than simply listing what's available, Mastercard Max helps people make the most of their cards by connecting them with relevant benefits when they need them. That can make a real difference to how often customers reach for their cards and help build stronger loyalty over time,” said Joyce Bo, executive vice president, Core Payments, Asia Pacific, Mastercard.

Mastercard Max combines conversational AI with benefit content from Mastercard and issuers, allowing cardholders to ask questions in their own words and receive relevant answers. Mastercard manages the AI models, content and orchestration, enabling issuers to integrate the assistant into their mobile banking apps or connect it to existing AI assistants through agent-to-agent capabilities, without having to build and maintain the technology themselves. The solution is designed with privacy, security and responsible data practices at its core.

“Consumers shouldn't have to dig through multiple apps or websites to understand their card benefits. At C6 Bank, we already use artificial intelligence to simplify customer experience, with AI agents each performing a specialized and specific function. Mastercard Max will be integrated into this experience to answer questions and help cardholders find the most relevant benefits when they matter most, at home or abroad,” said Gustavo Torres, Head of Innovation at C6 Bank.