As the cost of living rises and fuel prices continue to drive up airfares, many South Africans are looking for smart ways to stretch their budgets — including using banking rewards to save on travel.
At a time when affordability matters most, eBucks Travel is offering qualifying FNB and RMB Private Bank customers the opportunity to do just that with discounted fares across all available airlines.
This limited-time offer applies to all domestic and international flights booked through eBucks Travel up until June 13 2026, irrespective of travel dates.
Greater flexibility in paying for flights
Airfares don’t rise in a vacuum. Behind every increase is a chain of pressures, from fuel price volatility and inflation to currency shifts and broader economic strain.
These pressures are ultimately passed on to passengers, making domestic travel more expensive and often less accessible.
However, eBucks Travel insights show that customers are finding ways to adapt. Rather than cutting back on travel altogether, many are using loyalty rewards more strategically to offset rising costs.
When booking flights, eBucks Travel gives customers the option to pay using their eBucks, or to part-pay with eBucks and rand, making it easier to reduce out-of-pocket costs while still enjoying the flexibility to travel when they need to.
“Travel has remained one of the top redemption categories in our eBucks ecosystem, consistently ranking as the second-highest category by redemption value,” says Iain Meaker, head of Product at eBucks Travel.
“eBucks Travel has also seen year-on-year growth in domestic booking activity, alongside increased engagement from customers using loyalty rewards obtained through everyday banking activity to make travel more affordable.”
One of the clearest trends emerging from this internal data came after eBucks Travel reward benefits were extended to Aspire customers, FNB’s mid-market segment.
“You’d assume that travel is only for higher-income customers. But customers in the middle market want to travel too, whether that’s one domestic trip a year, visiting family, or a once-off holiday,” says Boitumelo Boikanyo, product manager at eBucks Travel.
“When we introduced the discount proposition to this segment, bookings increased and we saw an increase in eBucks being used for flights.”
More transparency in discounted flight prices
For years, flight discounts across much of the loyalty market were typically applied only to the “base fare”, excluding taxes, airport levies, and fuel surcharge components.
As a result, the saving customers saw on the final ticket price was often lower than expected.
eBucks Travel has changed that for domestic flights.
Under the programme’s updated domestic travel deals, discounts are now applied to the full ticket price, including fuel surcharges and taxes, rather than only the base fare.
The domestic value proposition also includes the option to choose between economy and premium cabin classes, as well as offering a choice between baggage and no-bag fare options.
We’re subsidising the full fare, fuel surcharges, airport taxes, the whole construct. Customers get a discount on that full portion, not just the base fare
— Iain Meaker, head of Product at eBucks Travel
The structure gives customers a clearer view of their actual saving at a time when travel costs remain under pressure.
“We wanted to become a lot more transparent and wanted customers to get the benefit on the full fare,” says Meaker.
“We’re subsidising the full fare, fuel surcharges, airport taxes, the whole construct. Customers get a discount on that full portion, not just the base fare.”
This extends to domestic flights booked under the current “discounted fares across all available airlines” promotion:
- FNB Aspire customers can receive R100 off one-way domestic fares.
- FNB Premier, Private Clients, Private Wealth, and RMB Private Bank customers with qualifying FNB Short-Term Insurance can access discounts of up to 80% off domestic full fares.
- Commercial customers can receive up to 40% off domestic full fares when they protect their assets with FNB Short-Term Business Comprehensive Insurance products.
For international flights, the promotion is focused on airline choice, flexibility, and access. While select customers can receive up to 40% off international flights across all airlines, these discounts apply to base fares only and exclude taxes, surcharges and airport charges.
Making travel more affordable
Overall, the trend emerging from the eBucks Travel data is clear: South Africans are still prioritising travel. What’s changed is the way they are funding it.
For many customers, loyalty rewards are helping absorb everyday financial pressures while still making room for travel.
For FNB and eBucks Travel, that means building products and promotions that respond to the strain customers are feeling in practical ways.
“At a time where [travel] access is being limited and costs are increasing, we’ve wanted to open up and extend the benefits [of eBucks Travel discounts] across all carriers,” says Meaker.
“The all-fare discounts in the domestic environment don’t prejudice customers in terms of the fare increases being applied, and customers can reap the full benefit of that.”
This article was sponsored by FNB.
Discounts are subject to qualifying FNB product criteria and each customer’s available eBucks Travel discount limits.
During the promotional period, eBucks Travel terms, conditions and discount rules will apply. Customers can view full promotional terms and conditions on the eBucks website.
