Loyalty and rewards

Toronto-based Glance Technologies has introduced a new version of its Glance Pay mobile payments app that uses micro-location sensing technologies along with image recognition, an approach it says is easier for merchants to adopt than QR codes.

Banks are going to great lengths to sign up the so-called mass affluent for their credit cards. How far is too far?

Starbucks has hit a mobile payments milestone, with 30% of all U.S. transactions now coming through mobile, and to smooth operations surrounding its popular Mobile Order & Pay service, the company is introducing digital-ordering specialists at its busiest stores.

Charging what people are willing to pay is an exact science, claims First Insight's Jim Shea, who contends the loyalty programs and price perks that merchants offer aren't always necessary.

The payments industry has come a long way with how it treats loyalty and rewards. Here are some of the more creative offerings to come about this year.

As contactless payment cards gain more momentum in U.K., supermarket giant Tesco wants to be sure its store loyalty card doesn't get left behind.

Like almost everything else related to Amazon's incursion into retail, the company's premium loyalty program has achieved a scale that appears ready to swallow the rest of the industry.

Citigroup is trying to gain an edge in the hotly contested category by introducing these competitive elements to its revamped Citi Prestige card.

Amazon wants you to marvel at its broad sales figures, but the details should be far more alarming to traditional retailers.

Advanced operating systems can run marketing and support services such as Apple Pay. Merchants would be well served to consider the diverse options of new terminals, writes Ben Wagner, director of solutions at Ingenico Group, North America.