Loyalty and rewards

After a year of teething trouble at the Amazon Go cashierless concept store in Seattle, the e-tailer has finally opened its doors to the public. But no amount of Jetsons-esque technology can prepare the company for a stampede of consumers accustomed to Flintstones-era retail.

The dark cloud that was the lost Costco card portfolio didn't garner a mention during the American Express 2017 fourth-quarter earnings call Thursday — the first time in many quarters that this was the case.

As mobile commerce matures, consumers are getting more accustomed to the process of populating a shopping cart from a smartphone's screen. It's a process that could translate well to brick-and-mortar stores.

Even as more retailers dropped out of the Plenti multi-merchant loyalty program this month, the faltering American Express program does not represent a death blow for such collaborations.

Debt transfers, dining rewards and easier security are all ways to enhance relationships with consumers are card options proliferate in a competitive environment, writes Thomas Donaldson, senior credit specialist at CompareCards.

Dynamics Inc. has been committed to bringing high-tech multi-account cards to market for years, but it's tough to sell banks on pricier plastic in the age of mobile wallets and e-commerce.

The Colorado-based credit union will disburse payments to members all year long.

Most retailers still don't want to accept bitcoin, but that doesn't mean they want to be left out of the cryptocurrency craze.

Five more retailers have dropped out of the American Express-managed Plenti retailer coalition loyalty program, putting its status in question.

As bitcoin's market swings steal the headlines, there are some people in the cryptocurrency industry who are trying to push the market back toward its original intent as a decentralized means of payment.