Mastercard has introduced Mastercard Max, an AI-powered “Benefits Assistant” now available globally, designed to help cardholders across Asia Pacific discover and use their card benefits more effectively. The tool is embedded directly into issuers’ digital channels, allowing cardholders to find relevant benefits tailored to their card, eligibility, location and context, without having to dig through separate apps or documentation.
How Mastercard Max Works
Mastercard Max uses conversational AI (it’s 2026, chatbot’s all the craze after all) combined with benefit content sourced from Mastercard and participating issuers. Cardholders can ask questions in natural language and receive answers specific to their card and situation. As an example, a cardholder planning a trip could use the assistant to identify available travel benefits, receive reminders about airport lounge access on the way to the airport, and discover nearby dining or entertainment experiences at the destination.
Issuers can integrate the assistant into their mobile banking apps or connect it to existing AI assistants through agent-to-agent capabilities. Mastercard manages the AI models, content and orchestration, meaning issuers (i.e. banks) do not need to build or maintain the underlying technology themselves.
Mastercard research indicates that 68% of affluent millennials say they would use their card more often if they had better awareness of available benefits. Across Asia Pacific, cardholders are increasingly seeking rewards and benefits that align with their lifestyles and spending habits, making the gap between available and actually used benefits a meaningful one for issuers to address.
C6 Bank, one of Brazil’s leading digital banks, is among the first issuers to bring Mastercard Max to its cardholders. The bank already uses AI agents for customer experience purposes and plans to integrate the assistant to help users find the most relevant benefits at home and abroad. SNB Group, Nedbank, I&M Bank and Attijariwafa Bank are also working to deploy the assistant for their customers. In Asia Pacific specifically, Citi is exploring opportunities to bring Mastercard Max to customers in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Pokdepinion: Turns out the biggest card benefit was knowing your card benefits existed in the first place.
