Edenred and Mastercard announced a new employee-benefits card in Belgium on May 9, 2022. The collaboration connected the voucher provider with Mastercard's payment network, targeting a rise in acceptance from around 40,000 to more than 100,000 locations.

The program covered several Edenred voucher types, including consumption, restaurant, environmental and sport-and-culture benefits. It also introduced contactless and Google Pay functionality for eligible purchases, extending use to smartphones and watches as well as physical cards.

Existing Edenred merchants were to accept the replacement card automatically. Other Mastercard merchants could enroll by contract without technical changes, according to the announcement. The wider Edenred business also supplied gift cards and employee-engagement services.

The partners planned to issue more than 1.5 million cards in the following months, beginning in May. They said the card would contain 85% recycled PVC. The rollout was presented as both an acceptance expansion and an update to how employee benefits could be spent.