Barclays Bank Kenya has partnered with Visa to introduce the premium Signature credit card in Kenya targeting the growing number of affluent domestic and international travellers.

Kenya becomes the first country in Africa to introduce this high-end credit card.

“The introduction of the Signature Credit Card fits well within our strategy of continuously strengthening our institution in response to customers’ feedback to make it more relevant to their day-to-day banking,” said Barclays Bank Managing Director Jeremy Awori. “The launch will therefore enable Barclays to cement leadership of the local credit card market.”

Among the many benefits, the card comes with a concierge available 24 hour a day, seven day a week to ensure cardholders’ personal and business travel needs are attended to.

For instance, the concierge helps customers to book restaurants on their behalf, to guarantee reservations and unlock dining experiences that are only available to Visa Signature cardholders. The concierge also assists customers to suggest and book concerts, theatre productions and other entertainment in cities around the world, including those in their home town.

In addition, the card gives customers access to airport lounges in over 800 airports around the world with the concierge available to coordinate every stage of out-of-town trips, including airport transfers and hotel and restaurant bookings.

The cardholders also have access to multi-trip travel insurance for anything that could arise, from something as small as a delayed flight to larger issues such as a medical emergency. The travel insurance covers a card holder and family members including parents, children and in-laws under 85 years of age who may need medical attention while travelling abroad together.

Overall, the uptake of cards in Kenya (debit and credit) increased from 11.5 million in June 2016 to 15.6 million cards as at June 2017. Over the same period, there were less than 250,000 credit cards in the market with Barclays controlling 40% of these.