The early years of AirPlus
From humble beginnings
In 1989, Lufthansa AirPlus Servicekarten GmbH was founded from a former Lufthansa AG project.
Introduction of a chip and our first Eurocard
In 1989, AirPlus presented the world's first credit card with a chip. In 1992, the AirPlus Eurocard, a payment solution for all travel expenses, was launched on the market. A year later, AirPlus was the first issuer of a card duo (corporate and travel spend) for frequent travelers.
Convenient data consolidation
In 1995, AirPlus pioneered a business travel management analysis tool, Netto (which later became the well-known AirPlus Information Manager) – to this day considered the standard for evaluating flight expenses.
In 1997, AirPlus became the first provider to merge and analyze data from different credit card holders.
Portal to business travel
In 2001, AirPlus launched individual business travel portals for customers. This enabled travel managers and business travelers to access all information and services from a single source online.
Next up: Information Manager
In 2003, a new AirPlus tool went live: the AirPlus Information Manager. This modern online solution enabled the management and analysis of global travel budgets.
Continuing to thrive
By 2005, AirPlus was offering its product range in 28 countries. In the same year, the virtual credit card solution "A.I.D.A." was introduced in the UK.
The credit card that moves with you
While AirPlus has been issuing credit cards since 1993, in 2006, AirPlus acquired its own license and began to issue its own Corporate Card – a major milestone in Germany. AirPlus officially became an independent issuer of credit cards for “on-trip” expenses.
The pioneers of sustainable payment solutions
AirPlus, now a global player, focused on fulfilling its responsibility to the environment with climate-neutral solutions and sustainability initiatives.
Contributing to climate protection
From 2007, AirPlus enabled companies to automatically bill and evaluate climate protection contribution. This made it easier than ever for businesses to play their role in climate protection.
Introducing the European Card
In 2010, AirPlus recognized the increasing importance of climate protection. The response? AirPlus Green Reports. This offered companies a flexible solution for quickly and automatically generating transparent reporting for CO2 emissions from business air travel, further simplifying companies' environmental commitment.
AirPlus Company Account goes green
In 2012, AirPlus introduced the AirPlus Green Company Account in Italy – the world's first complete CO2-neutral travel payment solution. This development marked a major step forward for the sustainable organization of business travel.
In 2015, AirPlus received the "myclimate Award 2015" at the ITB in Berlin for this pioneering work.
On course for success in Europe
Starting in 2016, AirPlus once again refocused its efforts in the European market with further innovative payment solutions for companies.
AirPlus ‘n’ Airbnb
In 2016, AirPlus joined forces with Airbnb to develop an integrated solution for booking, paying and settling business trips. With this, the sharing economy and travel expense management became further integrated, giving business travelers access to the best payment and travel management solutions for over 2.5 million accommodations worldwide.
Increasing our lead in Europe
In 2017, AirPlus acquired Belgian corporate card issuer BCC Corporate, further expanding its position as the leading European provider of corporate credit cards. One year later, AirPlus launched the new European Corporate Card, a uniform card solution for companies in the region.
Rethinking corporate payment
In 2020, AirPlus expanded its product offering with AirPlus Virtual Cards Procurement – positioning itself as an expert for all corporate payment needs. With the new card product, online and ad-hoc purchases of hardware, software licenses, office supplies, or online advertising could now be made easily, quickly, and securely.
Recent milestones
More than 55,000 corporate customers in 57 countries now rely on AirPlus solutions. Just as always, we are constantly developing our products, thus guaranteeing new, innovative solutions for the future.
AirPlus gets greener
In 2022, the AirPlus Company Account ("Green Company Account") – which had already been climate-neutral in some markets – was now climate-neutral for all AirPlus markets worldwide.
Making payments mobile with Apple Pay
In 2022, AirPlus unveiled the acceptance of the AirPlus Corporate Card in Apple Pay, enabling secure and confidential payments with iPhone and Apple Watch devices. This made payments for a wide range of services even easier.
Two new strategic partners in procurement management
With Coupa Pay and the Danish fintech Mazepay, AirPlus gained two strategic partners from the business spend management sector. The cooperation is another important milestone on the way for AirPlus to establish itself as a provider for B2B payments – outside of business travel.
It’s official: All solutions are climate-friendly worldwide
AirPlus is certified as a climate-friendly provider with the Impact Label of the international climate protection organization myclimate. All CO2 emissions have been calculated and a corresponding contribution has been invested into climate protection projects that significantly reduce greenhouse gases.
Now with Google Pay
AirPlus Corporate Cards come to Google Pay, offering convenient, safe, and contactless business travel payments via Android devices. With this, both major mobile wallets are now supported.
SEB Kort becomes the new shareholder of AirPlus
Together with SEB Kort, AirPlus will continue its success story and drive forward the digital transformation of the corporate payment industry.
