SAS Debuts Credit Card for Scandinavia’s Small Businesses

Scandinavian Airline Systems (SAS) has launched a credit card for the region’s small businesses.

The new card, announced Wednesday (May 27), is designed to bring together expense management, payment functionality and travel benefits.

“Companies tell us they want less administration, clearer travel benefits and a card that genuinely supports how Scandinavian businesses operate,” Paul Verhagen, SAS’ chief commercial officer, said in a news release. “With this program, they get smoother expense handling, EuroBonus points, better travel experiences for their teams and a single product that replaces what previously required several cards and platforms.”

The release argued that the card is designed to address a gap in the Scandinavian market, as no other cards or solutions “fully combines” loyalty, technology and banking.

The rollout will happen in phases across Scandinavia, starting with the debut of its first product: the SAS EuroBonus Executive Business Card. The platform is powered by Nordiska’s embedded finance and Cards‑as‑a‑Service (CaaS) infrastructure, and will be issued on the Mastercard network as a World Elite card.

Research by PYMNTS Intelligence has found that while many small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) rely heavily on credit, their priorities are changing.

“Access matters, of course,” PYMNTS wrote last month. “Yet many firms now seem more focused on practical features such as installment options, dynamic spending limits, flexible due dates and card controls that reflect how money actually moves through the business.”

That shift provides issuers with a new opening. In a market where many SMBs already feel they can access credit, product design might matter more than simple approval.

The research also found that SMBs are not worrying too much about whether they can get approved for a new business card, but are rather comparing options and seeking out products that offer more value.

“Nearly two-thirds of SMBs say they believe they would be approved for a new business credit card with their desired spending limit, and another 19% say they might be approved, though not for the full amount,” PYMNTS added. “Among high-revenue SMBs, that confidence rises even further, to 96.1%.”

Additional research shows that businesses are willing to pay for card features that center on cash-flow control, with 46% saying they would pay for the ability to adjust payment windows according to when funds are available.

“Flexibility over timing outweighs rewards programs,” PYMNTS wrote in March. “The data indicate that SMBs prioritize tools that allow them to manage outflows in alignment with receivables and revenue cycles.”