China's latest internet offer allows consumers to make money from their prepaid travel expenses, even before they step on the plane. Ping An's direct online bank is collaborating with online travel information provider, Qunar.com for this latest deal.

Wang Minghui likes travelling. He usually books his ticket and accommodation six months before the trip so that he gets a good deal. Today, he is planning a trip to Japan for the next New Year holidays. He booked the flights at online travel information provider, Qunar.com, not only because the prices are good, but also because he can turn the ticket money into a financial product, which will make him a profit everyday until he actually travels.

It all works through what's called a direct bank, a web site that offers financial products similar to those offered by banks. The financial product Wang gets on Qunar.com is a money fund offered by Ping An Orange, Ping An Bank's internet direct bank. It currently pays users an interest rate of 5.4 percent, almost two percentage points higher than that offered by Alipay's Yu'ebao. When users finally take their Qunar trips, they can choose to keep investing in the fund or cash out. This is the first partnership between an online travel information provider and a direct bank. Shared target users and common business interests are what brings them together.

Tang says partnering with Qunar.com will help Ping An Orange expand its business, since the online travel information provider has some 800 million users, a large potential pool of customers for the direct bank. One expert also thinks that offering financial products in the context of travel services will help Ping AN Orange to stand out from the competition, as there are nearly 30 direct banks in the market, all offering similar products. However, the new model may face some challenges in the future.

Yuan points out, however, that China's direct bank business is not even two years old, and it has great growth potential as consumers become more familiar with Internet financial products. Last year, over 61 percent of retail bank customers invested in some Internet financial products and 84 percent of them intended to maintain their investment.

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