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Total System Services Inc. says its new private-label loyalty card serves as a "plastic coupon" consumers can use to redeem specific merchandise at the point of sale. TSYS's processing system tracks SKU-level data when clerks scan an item at checkout. That enables the system to authorize the card for use with a specific item or multiple items, according to Anna Brumby, director of business development for TSYS's prepaid services division. The discount applies when the consumer or clerk swipes the card in the POS terminal. Merchants and manufacturers also can use the SKU-level data to track consumer buying behavior. TSYS tested the system last February and launched the card in March. More than 45 million cards were in circulation at the end of 2008, according to TSYS. Merchants at all levels can use the cards, from big-box retailers to mom-and-pop shops, Brumby says. Manufacturers also can set the cards to work for one product at multiple merchant locations. For example, consumers can use the card for a product found at Best Buy or Wal-Mart. The card also helps reduce coupon fraud, Brumby says. "Someone can clip a coupon out of the Sunday paper, make copies and continue to get discounts on one product," Brumby says.
