Loyalty and rewards

Google is getting in on the card-linked offers movement with a new API enabling merchants to send targeted offers to consumers who store a loyalty card within Android Pay.

Merchants increasingly sing the praises of analyzing customer payment data to learn more about spending habits and deliver customized offers through mobile devices. American Express is kicking off a project to do the same with corporate travel data.

American Express has made several attempts to escape its image as a card for the elite, with efforts such as the Bluebird prepaid card and the OptBlue pricing program for small merchants. Its latest move is focused on rewards for small-business owners.

Netspend is focusing on "overlooked and emerging segments" to expand its prepaid card services, according to company president Chuck Harris. And it's making some very unconventional alliances along the way.

UBS Group AG, Switzerland’s largest bank, plans to introduce a premium card this month as it seeks to strengthen ties with affluent Americans.

IBM's new Blockchain Founder Accelerator could better position the distributed ledger technology as a platform for mainstream payments, but the technology giant wants to start with baby steps.

Brick-and-mortar retailers are using technology to transform their physical stores into an Amazon-like digital experience.

Royal Bank of Canada is applying blockchain technology to its loyalty program, in an effort to make its rewards more tangible and accessible.

JPMorgan Chase, which already made a $10 million investment in mobile payments and loyalty provider LevelUp, renewed its interest in a just-completed $50 million round of funding.

Every year, payments experts gather at SourceMedia's Card Forum to discuss the trends shaping our industry. Here are some of the major topics discussed at this year's event in Austin, Texas.

In banking, as in any other industry, a company's brand is a precious commodity. But as the digital economy matures, card issuers are finding a greater need to hand the reins over to their partners.

An upcoming release of Android Pay may have a biometric facial recognition component named “Visual ID," according to a recent teardown of the app. This functionality could open up numerous possibilities for merchants.

At noon on Monday, May 1, reservations will open for the EMP Summer House in East Hampton, N.Y. But only American Express cardholders can reserve a table.

Despite the best intentions of Apple and Google to ignite contactless, the QR Code persists as a tenacious legacy technology providing the connective tissue between physical and digital domains. Further evidence of its persistence comes from Facebook.

Facebook is reportedly rolling out a feature that allows users to scan QR codes to earn incentives to shop at nearby stores.

The North American subsidiary of Germany’s Wirecard AG is providing the technology behind a prepaid Visa card that distributes cash rewards to blood donors.

In the past, card issuers could lure new customers by offering a low promotional rate. But regulations in the wake of the financial crisis don't allow rate adjustments, and issuers also can't increase credit lines as they did in the past.

Loyalty programs are getting more sophisticated, but they still typically boil down to a game of collecting and redeeming points.

Mobile apps still account for only about one percent of transactions. There are a few ways to increase adoption, such as targeting payment types that are already tough to make with cash.

Efforts to combine mobile wallets and loyalty programs have had mixed success over the years, but many companies are undeterred. Here are a few that are working to find the right mix of technologies.