BBVA expands its offering in Italy with an eSIM service integrated into the bank’s app
BBVA customers in Italy can now stay connected wherever they travel by purchasing mobile data plans directly through BBVA’s app, bringing banking, payments and global connectivity together in one place. The service, launched through an agreement between BBVA and Gigs, represents another step in BBVA’s plan to broaden its range of products beyond financial services. The eSIM service has launched first in Italy with the possibility of future market expansion.
Instead of paying expensive roaming fees, turning to third-party applications or buying a physical SIM card when traveling abroad, BBVA customers in Italy can now purchase and activate an eSIM directly through the bank’s app. To offer this new mobile connectivity service, BBVA relies on Gigs, a leading embedded connectivity provider.
“With the new eSIM, we are making it easier for our customers to access an essential service when travelling abroad, in a fully digital and frictionless way, adding mobile connectivity to BBVA’s range of solutions that go beyond purely financial services,” says Walter Rizzi, Head of Digital Banking at BBVA in Italy.
The eSIM service complements a broad range of solutions in Italy that BBVA is already offering to support its customers before and during their trips, simplifying different needs within a single digital environment. Customers currently have access to solutions for planning each trip through the dedicated ‘MyTrips’ tool, which helps them budget and categorise travel expenses, as well as exclusive benefits such as 0% FX fees on payments abroad with the BBVA debit card, a natural companion to the new eSIM when travelling abroad, and free cash withdrawals of €100 or more across the eurozone, including unlimited free withdrawals at BBVA ATMs when travelling to Spain. This is complemented by the payment flexibility and instalment options offered by ‘Pay&Plan’, along with other direct benefits such as 4% interest on account balances and 4% cashback on purchases.
“Today’s travellers don’t want to juggle different apps for every part of their trip, they want to manage the essentials in one place. By embedding connectivity directly into its app with Gigs, BBVA gives customers one place to budget, pay, split expenses and stay connected abroad. It's a radically better experience built for those who want to travel, bank and connect globally,” says Hermann Frank, Co-Founder and CEO, Gigs.
An eSIM for travelling, in your BBVA app
This eSIM service is designed for customers travelling abroad who need a simple, fully digital way to access mobile data. The eSIM only needs to be installed once and can be reused to purchase new plans in the future, so customers do not need to reinstall it every time they travel.
The entire experience sits within the BBVA app. Customers choose their destination and data allowance, then activate their eSIM with a tap. On arrival, they simply switch it on to connect to a local network. Customers can also track data usage, check their plan’s remaining validity, receive usage alerts, buy more data, and contact technical support, all without leaving the app.
The new eSIM is initially available to individual customers residing in Italy who are over the age of 18 and hold a BBVA online current account, provided their device supports eSIM technology.
A more proactive, useful and personalised banking experience
With this launch, BBVA is entering the connectivity space, a new category of services with the potential to grow in the future and support customers both while travelling and in their day-to-day lives. Integrating these types of solutions into the app makes it possible to offer a more proactive, useful and personalised experience.
For now, the eSIM service is already available to the bank’s customers in Italy, with the possibility of progressively extending it to other markets.