Legislation aimed at airline loyalty programs may reshape how rewards work across the broader payments ecosystem. Thursday (March 26), U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (Democrat, Illinois) announced he had reintroduced the Protect Your Points Act, which initially debuted in the last Congress. And per the bill,...
Starbucks overhauled its rewards program in this month, and customers noticed immediately. The coffee chain replaced its long-standing structure with a three-tier membership system sorting members into Green, Gold and Reserve categories based on Stars accumulated in 2025, according to Axios. The update took effect...
For decades, loyalty followed a familiar rhythm: Consumers earned points on credit card purchases and redeemed them later, often after months of accumulation. That structure still exists, but it no longer defines how loyalty is being designed. Banks, card networks and merchants are now approaching...
Starbucks is preparing to launch an updated version of its loyalty rewards program. Beginning March 10, the coffee chain will offer a three-tiered rewards structure, with “Green,” “Gold” and “Reserve” levels each offering new, exclusive benefits, the company announced at its Thursday (Jan. 29) 2026 Investor Day....
United Airlines grew its loyalty revenue by promoting loyalty rather than rewards, an executive said Wednesday (Jan. 21) during the company’s fourth quarter earnings call. The airline’s loyalty revenue saw year-over-year increases of 10% for the fourth quarter and 9% for the full year of...
Watch: How Smart Basket Redesigns the Economics of Loyalty Brands and merchants are competing for consumer attention in an environment flooded with offers, ads and incentives. Loyalty programs remain a core strategy, but the challenge is no longer whether to invest in loyalty. It is...
For years, loyalty followed credit, but new data shows that rewards are now chasing spending habits shaped by caution rather than leverage. That is the central finding of PYMNTS Intelligence’s Embedded Finance Tracker, titled “Rethinking Rewards With a Loyalty Platform for the Debit Generation.” The report...
Consumers are using credit in strategic ways. This year’s Black Friday data gleaned by PYMNTS Intelligence showed that financially stressed households, young shoppers and high-income earners leaned into rewards to cover seasonal spending. PYMNTS Intelligence’s “Black Friday on a Budget: How Discipline and Deals Shaped...
PayPal-owned peer-to-peer payment app Venmo is launching what it calls its first “always-on” rewards program. Venmo Stash, announced Monday (Nov. 10), lets customers earn up to 5% cash back on everyday purchases. “Stash builds on the app’s evolution from a peer-to-peer payment app to an...