The news
BBVA (BBVA) and online travel company eDreams ODIGEO announced a strategic partnership on September 29, 2026 to link digital banking and travel in Italy and Germany. The first BBVA eDreams partnership offer gives new BBVA Germany customers a free year of Opodo Prime Plus.
The agreement is between BBVA Digital Banks, a unit of the Spanish lender, and eDreams ODIGEO, whose brands include Opodo. BBVA said the two companies plan to build a joint roadmap toward a more integrated finance and travel experience and to develop new products, benefits and conditions for customers.
The first step is a campaign in Germany that began on September 28, 2026. Customers who join BBVA Germany through the initiative can get one year of Opodo Prime Plus free of charge, a membership BBVA valued at €119.99. Opodo Prime Plus is an online travel subscription that offers discounts on flights, hotels, trains and car rentals. BBVA also noted that its German customers can pay by card in foreign currencies without exchange fees.
BBVA did not say when an offer will reach Italy or what form it will take, and neither company disclosed financial terms. Murat Kalkan, global head of BBVA Digital Banks, said travel is "one of the most relevant spending and interest categories" for the bank's customers. Frédéric Esclapez, chief marketing officer at eDreams ODIGEO, said the deal shows the company's ability to create value for partners and to find new ways of engaging consumers.
BBVA launched its German digital retail bank in June 2025. In April 2026, the bank said it had passed a six-figure customer count in Germany and that 23% of German customers held more than €100,000 with it. In Italy, BBVA said in December 2025 that its digital bank had more than 800,000 customers and aimed to pass one million by the end of 2026.
eDreams ODIGEO, which is listed in Spain, describes itself as the world's leading travel subscription platform. The company says its Prime subscription programme has more than 8.1 million members and that it serves customers across 44 markets through brands including eDreams, Opodo, GO Voyages, Travellink and Liligo.
The numbers
- Value of free Opodo Prime Plus year (BBVA figure)
- €119.99
- Germany campaign start date
- September 28, 2026
- BBVA Italy customers (December 2025)
- 800,000+
- BBVA Italy customer target by end-2026
- 1 million+
- BBVA Germany customers with over €100,000 (April 2026)
- 23%
- eDreams ODIGEO Prime members (company figure)
- 8.1 million+
Why CEOs should care
For digital bank leaders and chief marketing officers, this is a customer acquisition play: a paid travel subscription used as a welcome offer. The question for CFOs is what the perk costs per customer and whether it brings in lasting relationships or short-term switchers. Track how many campaign customers fund their accounts, move salary payments, and stay after the free year ends, and compare that with the cost of cash bonuses or higher deposit rates.
For consumer platforms such as travel, retail or mobility companies, the deal shows how banks can become a distribution channel. eDreams gains a route to BBVA's digital banking customers in two large European markets. Executives weighing similar tie-ups should ask who pays for the perk, who owns the customer relationship, and how conversion from free to paid membership will be measured.
Chief data officers and CISOs should ask what customer data, if any, moves between the partners. The announcement does not describe data sharing, but any joint products of the kind the companies plan would likely need it. Under European data protection rules, clear consent, purpose limits and contracts covering each party's role should be in place before launch.
The bigger picture
BBVA's CEO has said the bank is focused on organic growth in markets where it already operates, and in Italy and Germany that means winning customers one account at a time through digital-only banks. Partnerships with consumer brands give it reach it lacks as a newer entrant. For fintechs and banks planning cross-border expansion, the model is worth watching: pair a digital account with benefits customers already pay for, and work with a partner that wants the same customers.
What’s next
Watch for the Italy offer and its timing, the first joint products beyond the welcome perk, and BBVA's next customer figures for Germany and Italy. Also watch eDreams ODIGEO's Prime membership numbers for any lift it attributes to bank partnerships.
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