Through travel and e-commerce perks, N26 is pitching itself as a lifestyle brand
N26 is building out its perks ecosystem, adding partnerships with new brands at a rapid clip.
This month, the company partnered with scooter rental company Lime and online travel platform Booking.com to offer added rewards to customers who transact using their N26 debit cards.
“We’re very careful around using data the right way, but one way we use data is customizing our offerings,” said Nicolas Kopp, U.S. CEO of N26. “That involves looking at current data we have on [customers], where they spend and what benefits and partnerships they might appreciate.”
By adding popular services like Lime and Booking.com to its perks program, N26 is working to replicate credit card-style rewards. The new perks also help the company move beyond financial services and toward the direction of a holistic life and money platform, Kopp said.
The company used focus groups and surveys to determine which partnerships would work best.
N26 customers will get 50% off all Lime rides and 15% cash back on travel reservations with Booking.com if they use their N26 debit cards. Other cash-back and discount partnerships include the meditation platform Headspace, the foreign language service Babbel, the skincare subscription service Curology, ticketing service Headout and the online fashion retailer Yoox. N26 also partners with fitness app Aaptiv and the streaming service TIDAL as part of its perks offering.
See also: N26 pursues US market with ads that speak to customer pain points
Through brand partnerships, N26 is aiming to reach diverse customer segments. According to Kopp, more than 40% of N26 customers in the EU are older than 35, and the startup would like to target a wider demographic in the U.S. as well. N26 has 3.5 million customers in 25 markets, and the company has raised $670 million from investors.
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