Loyalty and rewards

The credit union-led CU Wallet is working to attract small-business support by drawing on the local ethos that credit unions have nurtured for years, but it faces a formidable challenge as device makers such as Apple and Samsung bake their own wallets into the hardware.

Over the past few years, card-linked offers (CLO) have emerged as the next "it” digital advertising channel and is angling to underpin daily-deals platforms that haven’t delivered the long-term customer engagement once promised.

American Express' recovery from losing its partnership with Costco got a boost as it reached an agreement with Starwood Hotels to introduce a new payment card.

Starbucks has integrated its app with technology from corporate spending management company Concur, demonstrating the vast new uses of the coffee chain's mobile commerce offering.

When it comes to free loyalty programs, financial institutions are suffering from revenue model challenges and low uptake, though it's a problem that can be fixed.

As Starbucks has proven for years, few retail interactions are more tailor-made for mobile payment than coffee sales. But when U.K.-based grocery chain Marks & Spencer launched its own coffee loyalty app in a 58-store trial in London, it chose to keep its menu much simpler.

The Starbucks gift card is the foundation the coffee chain's mobile and rewards strategy, and for good reason. In 2013, one in eight Americans received a Starbucks gift card as a holiday gift. In 2014, it was one in seven.

New, experimental consumer marketing programs have played a significant role in the way technology has upended the payment business in recent years. And Visa is looking to get in on the action.

As he assumes the role of CEO of 'buy local' offers company Buzz Points, Dwayne Spradlin predicts that certain trends in technology and consumer habits will breathe life into a loyalty model that has stagnated in the past.

Starbucks Corp., which now handles 16% of its U.S. sales through its mobile app, revealed today just how dominant its position has become even as it plots new features such as preordering.

Retail ATM operator Cardtronics Inc. is testing a system that takes location-based offers, which are typically linked to a card account or a mobile app, and makes them available to consumers who may prefer to pay with cash.

An older mobile-wallet technology is getting fresh attention at Westpac Bank in New Zealand, which wants to encourage people without the latest iPhone or Android handset to make contactless mobile payments.

Shopkick has launched its mobile commerce and rewards service in Germany with a group of the country's largest merchants.

Visa Europe is working with edo, a Chicago and Nashville-based card-linked marketing firm, to launch a pilot of edo's technology in the U.K. this year and eventually expand to other European countries.

American Express Co. customers whose reward points are too meager for flights, ballet tickets or even a yoga mat are getting a new list of options: a McDonald's menu.

Shopkick is being acquired by SK Planet (SKP), and aims to replicate success of its Seoul-based buyer, which serves three-quarters of South Korea's population of 50 million.

MasterCard has launched Pay with Rewards, a mobile app that allows MasterCard credit card holders to use their reward points for purchases by swiping their card at the point of sale.

SpendSmart Networks has purchased the e-commerce solutions division of TechXpress and plans to integrate the company's online and mobile services with its existing loyalty program offerings.

Macy's is using a mix of technology to pitch offers to consumers as they move within its store and shop across channels.

Nearly 50% of customers between 26 and 34 say they are likely to switch banks to get targeted rewards, according to a new whitepaper from Cardlytics.