MasterCard, RCBC Bankard bring couple to Sydney

MANILA, Philippines - To usher in the New Year, Davao-based Alan Abrina and wife Marycel were just planning to go to Cebu. But with a swipe of their RCBC Bankard MasterCard and a stroke of luck, they won a priceless trip to Sydney, Australia.

Touted to be one of the best destinations for the New Year’s Eve revelry, Sydney was among the first cities in the world to welcome the first daylight of 2014. Sydney especially took pride in its extravagant fireworks display, made even more special this year with the Sydney Opera House celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Seven tons of pyrotechnics were ignited for the masterfully orchestrated show, which featured fireworks shooting from the Opera House’s sails, waterfalls of fire from the Harbor Bridge, and a 12-story high, 72-meter wide neon eye.

The display gathered a crowd of 1.6 million, among them Alan and Marycel who were also celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. Alan was the winning cardholder of the Grand Lifestyle Package in the Priceless Moments Raffle Promo held from Sept. 2 to Nov. 8 last year.

The Grand Lifestyle Package included Cathay Pacific business class roundtrip airfare to Sydney, three days and two nights of accommodations at the Swissotel Sydney, a private tour of the city, a sumptuous dinner at the acclaimed Aria restaurant, luxurious spa service, a prepaid MasterCard with $600, and concierge and limousine service.

For the highlight of their trip, Alan and Marycel spent the New Year’s Eve at the historic and highly exclusive harbor island of Fort Denison, which provided guests a 360-degree view of the Sydney Opera House, the Harbor Bridge and city skyline. They were treated to canapés and cocktails, followed by a five-course dinner with premium wine, beer, and cheese selection, and live entertainment.

At the Fort Denison Restaurant, they had front row seats to a colorful Harbor of Light parade, an air show, and best of all, the phenomenal 12-minute midnight fireworks display.

Cardholders earned a raffle entry to the promo automatically after spending a minimum of P3,000 on a retail purchase using their RCBC Bankard MasterCard or $75 abroad, including online-based transactions, during the promo period.

“We are pleased to be able to offer this promotion, which treats our cardholders to a very special, priceless experience curated to include not just the airfare, but also the luxury accommodations, tours, and concierge service. They can expect more campaigns from RCBC Bankard and MasterCard which strengthen our goal of making their lives better,” said Angela Mirasol, RCBC Bankard’s vice president for marketing.