Mastercard Launches Access Pass in UAE to Deepen Consumer Engagement

Mastercard has moved to strengthen its footprint in experiential payments by debuting Mastercard Access Pass, a platform designed to give issuers and brands new tools for driving engagement, in the United Arab Emirates. The launch, announced in a Tuesday (Nov. 25) news release, comes as global payment networks and banks accelerate efforts to differentiate their digital card propositions through personalization, loyalty and embedded experiences.

The program is rolling out first with the McLaren Formula 1 Team and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), giving eligible FAB cardholders access to exclusive content, merchandise, events and limited-edition digital card art tied to the McLaren Racing brand. According to Mastercard, Access Pass lets consumers layer unique perks and visual designs onto their existing debit, credit, or prepaid cards without needing a new physical card.

Consumers in the UAE can activate the McLaren Racing Mastercard Pass through the FAB mobile app and receive instant digital-wallet updates. Mastercard said the offering will expand with additional designs, partners, and markets in 2026.

The release underscores rising demand for passion-driven, personalized card features, citing internal Mastercard research and external sources from EY, Youth Blueprint and Deloitte. These findings highlight younger consumers’ expectations for exclusive content, digital-first payment options and brand-aligned rewards.

Mastercard framed the UAE rollout as the beginning of a global strategy that positions Access Pass as both a consumer perk and a value-creation tool for issuers. “With Mastercard Access Pass, we’ve created a seamless digital gateway to the passions that matter most to our cardholders,” Mastercard Chief Product Officer Jorn Lambert said in the release. “Together with incredible partners like the McLaren Formula 1 Team and FAB, we’re delivering exclusive experiences – starting in the UAE and expanding globally.”

In other Mastercard news, PYMNTS recently covered Mastercard’s work on artificial intelligence (AI)-driven fraud prevention, tokenization and its Cyber and Intelligence product enhancements, which aim to bolster security across merchant and issuer networks.

PYMNTS has also reported on Mastercard’s continued push into open banking, including ecosystem collaborations to streamline account-to-account payments, identity verification and credit decisioning.

Recent PYMNTS features have highlighted Mastercard’s views on agentic AI, cross-border payment modernization, and the company’s role in shaping 2026 card-network innovations.