“FIS ™ (NYSE: FIS) and PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) are extending their partnership to enable millions of cardholders of U.S. financial institutions to participate in PayPal’s Pay with Rewards. Beginning in Q3 2020, cardholders of thousands of financial institutions participating in FIS’ Premium Payback loyalty network will be able to use their eligible card loyalty points to pay for eligible online purchases at millions of PayPal merchants globally.”

“Shell Oil Company (Shell), the largest fuel network in the United States, and Dunkin’ just announced a national expansion of their partnership with the Fuel Rewards® program. The “Sip Dunkin’, Save at Shell” partnership allows Fuel Rewards® members with Gold Status and DD Perks® Rewards Program members to save 10 cents per gallon every time they purchase five beverages at a Dunkin’ location.”

“Scoring a reservation at a top restaurant is often far from an easy feat. Holders of The Platinum Card from American Express , The Business Platinum Card from American Express , and the Centurion Card from American Express have been able to take advantage of the concierge service to help them secure tables, with special access to boot, but there historically hasn’t been an easy way for US cardholders to browse and book available reservations digitally. Thankfully, that is about to change.”

“Amid increased competition in the digital payments space, Venmo today announced its first-ever rewards program, Venmo Rewards, which will allow users to earn automatic cash back on purchases when they pay with their Venmo card at select retailers. The company is kicking off the program with limited-time cash back deals, including 5% back at Target, 5% back at Sephora, 4% back at Dunkin’, 5% back and Wendy’s and more.”

“Target today announced its new data-driven loyalty program, Target Circle, will launch nationwide on October 6th, following a year and a half of beta testing in select markets . The program combines a variety of features, including 1% savings on purchases, birthday rewards and personalized offers and savings designed to make the program more attractive to consumers.”

“The Pareto Principle tells us that 80% of revenue comes from the top 20% of customers; therefore, should these top customers be treated differently? The hospitality industry gets it. So does the financial industry. But in general, the retail industry is still issuing generic loyalty cards to the masses, when they should be offering customized, tailored experiences to their most loyal customers.”

“Coffee, doughnut, and breakfast sandwich aficionados can now pay with credit and debit cards and even cash and still earn points in Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc.’s DD Perks loyalty program at more than 1,000 test stores, Dunkin’ announced this week. DD Perks is one of the nation’s largest rewards programs, with more than 10 million members. Previously, customers could earn DD Perks points only if they paid with an enrolled Dunkin’ gift card or Dunkin’s mobile app, which uses QR codes for payments, linked to an enrolled gift card. Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’, which recently dropped “Donuts” from its corporate name, said Tuesday that it tested multi-tender loyalty purchases at some stores in California and Pennsylvania earlier this year. Now it’s adding another 1,000.”

“Customers of KFC will be sent a digital version of their receipt when they pay with certain bank cards following a tie-up between the fast food chain in the UK and Flux. Customers who have opted in to the independent Flux platform will receive any loyalty points earned automatically.”

“Barclays is rolling out a service which will enable customers to collect points from different retailers’ loyalty schemes when they pay with their Barclays bank card. The launch follows a £10m investment headed by Barclays in payment linked loyalty business Bink.”

“Did you blow enough money on Uber  to get Diamond status? A lot of users are finding out tonight as Uber rolls out its rider loyalty Rewards program to San Francisco and a slew of other cities. The feature calculates how much you’ve spent on Uber and Uber Eats in the last six months awards you perks like no-fee cancellations if you rebook, guaranteed prices between your two favorite spots, and free car upgrades.”

“Chase Card Services, the leading co-brand credit card issuer in the U.S., and Marriott International, today announced the rebrand of the Marriott Rewards® Premier Plus Credit Card as the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card. The rebrand follows Marriott’s reveal of Marriott Bonvoy™, its new loyalty brand that will replace the current loyalty brands – Marriott Rewards®, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® and Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG®) – on February 13.”

“Today, American Express (NYSE: AXP) and Marriott International, Inc. announced upcoming changes to the current Starwood Preferred Guest^®American Express Cobrand Credit Card portfolio following the recent unveiling of Marriott’s new loyalty brand, Marriott Bonvoy™, which will replace the travel program’s three current loyalty brands, Starwood Preferred Guest, Marriott Rewards^® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® on February 13, 2019.”

“The main problem has been a miscalculation on banks’ part that credit card users would remain just that: People who casually use credit cards for big purchases. Instead, many card users of this points-obsessed ilk apply for cards just for the sign-up bonus.”

“Customers at participating Shell-branded fuel stations across the United States will be able to redeem rewards points in real-time directly at the pump through a joint initiative between Excentus, a leading loyalty marketing and technology firm recently acquired by PDI Software, and FIS™ (NYSE: FIS), a global leader in financial services technology.”

“Even though 75% of shoppers say they have a preferred brand when shopping, these preferences can certainly be changed: 76% were likely to change that preferred brand, according to a survey of 1,000 shoppers by Adtaxi. The single largest deciding factor in brand-switching is price, which 83%of shoppers rely on when making a purchasing decision, followed by:”

“Deutsche Bank has launched Yunar, a wholly-owned subsidiary startup that is taking a loyalty-first approach to building out a fully featured mobile wallet by initially offering a simple way to manage up to 200 loyalty points schemes — and then gradually adding a range of mobile payments and banking services as adoption takes off.”

“The billion-dollar company, which announced its $125 million Series C three weeks ago, has partnered with Amazon Web Services, WeWork, Instacart, Google Ads, SendGrid, Salesforce Essentials, Twilio, Zendesk, Caviar, HubSpot, Orrick, Snap, Clerky and DoorDash to give entrepreneurs the ability to accrue and spend points on services and products they use regularly.”

“This is obviously hugely disappointing news for anyone in the first year of a Discover card who was intending to spend a lot through the portal for the first year double. Cash back earned from the portal has historically been doubled along with cash back earned on the card at the end of the first year.”

“Citi has teamed up with Spotify to enable customers in Asia to use credit card points to pay their music streaming subscriptions. Citi credit card users in Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan can use their credit card points or miles for instant redemptions on their Spotify Premium subscriptions.”

“Macy’s is extending its loyalty program to all customers — regardless of how they pay for their purchases. The department store retailer announced that it is opening up its Star Rewards loyalty program to all customers. The program was previously reserved for Macy’s cardholders.”

“Target will begin testing a new loyalty program Tuesday that it hopes will lead to increased shopper loyalty, including more customers becoming holders of its credit card. For now, the Target Red program is limited to Dallas-Fort Worth, where, Target spokesman Joshua Thomas said, the market is diverse enough to gather a wide range of responses and where the program can evolve. Target has designed the loyalty program to stand separate from its Redcard store credit card, which comes with a 5 percent discount.”

‘”As the growth engine for restaurants, it’s our job to help restaurants reach new customers and convert them into loyal guests,” said Seth Priebatsch, founder and CEO at LevelUp. “Our Broadcast product enables integrated digital ordering and rewards distribution through leading consumer channels bringing new customers in the door. And our new data-enriching capabilities help restaurants understand and better engage those new customers.””

“Factor4, LLC’s cutting edge gift card and loyalty platform, RewardOS, has expanded in First Data’s Clover® App Market. Now ISOs and merchants operating in the UK and Ireland can enhance their experience with Gift Card and Loyalty apps from Factor4 that are fully integrated into the payment flow. Both apps feature low monthly program fees and provide unlimited transactions, reports access and support. There are no transaction fees.”