Rapid Growth in Hana Card Membership and Overseas Usage... Thanks to Travelog

270,000+ Increase This Year... 3rd Largest Membership Growth
Surpassing Major Companies Like Shinhan and Samsung
Overseas Usage Amount 550 Billion Won... 1st Among Card Companies
Q2 Net Profit Soars... Expectations for Performance Improvement

Hanacard is gaining significant popularity with its specialized service for overseas travel and direct overseas purchases, 'Travelog.' As demand for overseas travel increases, there are also prospects for continued growth in the future.

According to the Credit Finance Association on the 24th, Hanacard's membership increased by 274,000 from January to July this year. This ranks third among full-service card companies. During the same period, Hanacard surpassed larger companies such as Woori Card, which increased by 140,000 members, Lotte Card (252,000 members), Samsung Card (249,000 members), and Shinhan Card (117,000 members).

Overseas usage amounts also surged. According to the Credit Finance Association, as of the end of July, overseas usage amounts for personal debit and check cards reached 549.4 billion KRW, nearly a 120% increase compared to the same period last year. This accounts for 34.9% of the total overseas usage amount of 1.5749 trillion KRW by eight full-service card companies (based on personal debit and check cards).

It is evaluated that the popularity of Hanacard's overseas travel service platform, 'Travelog,' played a key role. Travelog targets travelers by offering benefits such as no foreign exchange fees, exemption from overseas merchant usage fees (waiving overseas service fees and international brand fees), and no fees for overseas ATM withdrawals. The number of subscribers surpassed 1 million in May and exceeded 2 million this month. Considering it took about 10 months to reach 1 million subscribers since its launch, the recent growth is explosive. Han Young-joo, Chairman of Hana Financial Group, even attended the celebration event for surpassing 2 million subscribers. Overseas usage amounts (based on personal debit and check cards) also increased by about 200 billion KRW in two months, from 366.9 billion KRW in May.

As the number of overseas travelers increases, there are expectations that Hanacard's growth will continue. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, as of June this year, the number of overseas tourists was 1,771,962, a 329.3% increase compared to the same period last year. By the first half of the year, 15,135,858 people had already traveled abroad, a 614.7% increase compared to the first half of last year. Since 72% (52.4 billion KRW) of Hanacard's first-half net profit of 72.6 billion KRW was generated in the second quarter, performance improvement due to the surge in travel demand is also expected.

Lee Seok, Head of Hanacard's Digital Finance Group, stated, "Travelog is changing the long-established experience of currency exchange and overseas travel through digital currency exchange," adding, "We will strengthen the service by increasing the number of currencies with preferential exchange rates and adding products such as travel insurance."

On the 28th, marking the start of the peak summer vacation season, international travelers at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 are completing their check-in procedures. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.