Collinson Partners with utu to Upsize VAT & GST Refunds for Priority Pass Members

Strategic partnership will enable Priority Pass Members who have directly purchased their membership via Priority Pass' website to access utu's tax refunds rewards system in 50 countries.

TOKYO, Feb. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Collinson, a global leader in the provision of airport experiences, loyalty and customer engagement solutions, and owner and operator of Priority Pass, today announces a joint partnership with utu, a global travel technology company headquartered in Singapore. This partnership will enable Priority Pass Members who have directly purchased their membership via Priority Pass' website to access utu's tax refunds rewards system in 50 countries. Currently available in English, Japanese and Korean, additional languages will be increasingly added.

utu enables eligible Priority Pass Members globally to upsize the VAT and GST refunds from any refund operator participating in the tax-free overseas shopping scheme, opening-up new benefits such as:

• Bonus miles to supercharge travel rewards: up to 40% more miles on the VAT refund amount claimed for tax-free purchases.
• Instant-spend privileges: the ability to spend tax refunds instantly at selected stores.
• Additional cashback: Choice to receive an additional 5% cashback (currently only available on purchases using Euros).

Collinson's latest Asia Pacific (APAC) consumer insights report, The New Rules of Engagement: Customer Expectations Revealed indicates that consumers in APAC want brands to anticipate their needs and provide hyper-personalised offers^[1]. One such expectation is embed a relevant and value-added experience at the core of customer engagement and loyalty programmes^[2].

The Priority Pass integration with utu provides members with another travel benefit beyond airport experiences; further elevating their travel experience with Priority Pass.

To activate this benefit, eligible Priority Pass Members can follow these steps:

• Log into their Priority Pass membership using the Priority Pass app and navigate to the Travel Services Section to unlock this benefit. They can then proceed to generate utu Tax Free Card details directly from the Priority Pass app.
• Using the utu virtual card details, retail members can fill out a refund form and select their preferred method of refund.
• Once the tax refund operators process the refund, eligible Priority Pass Members will receive an upsized cashback or airline miles for their VAT / GST refund.

This collaboration is currently only available to Priority Pass retail members who have directly purchased Priority Pass via Priority Pass' website. Other Priority Pass Members, including eligible credit card cardholders, will be able to access this benefit in the coming months.

About Collinson

Collinson is the global, privately-owned company dedicated to helping the world to travel with ease and confidence.  

We work with the world's leading payment networks, over 1,400 banks, 90 airlines and 20 hotel groups worldwide. We deliver market-leading airport experiences, loyalty and customer engagement, and insurance solutions for over 400 million end consumers. 

Collinson is the operator of Priority Pass, the world's original and leading airport experiences programme. Travellers can access a network of over 1,500 lounges and travel experiences, including dining, retail, sleep and spa, in over 700 airports in 145 countries, helping to elevate the journey into something special.  

About UTU

utu (pronounced "you-too") is transforming tax-free shopping worldwide by empowering travellers with the freedom to obtain a higher VAT refund by going beyond digitising refunds to re-engineer the tax-free shopping value chain to benefit travellers. The utu management team has deep domain knowledge in tax-free shopping developed over 25 years of refunding VAT and GST worldwide. By bringing the worlds of refunds and rewards together, utu unlocks new value in rewards from retailers, airlines, hotels, and others. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Singapore, utu's products can be used in over 50 countries.