Loyalty programs are structured marketing efforts that reward, and therefore encourage, loyal buying behaviour — behaviour which is potentially of benefit to the firm. ^[1]

In marketing generally and in retailing more specifically, a loyalty card, rewards card, points card, or club card is a plastic or paper card, visually similar to a credit card or debit card, that identifies the card holder as a member in a loyalty program. In popular usage "marketing" is the promotion of products especially Advertising and Branding However in professional usage the term has a wider meaning of Loyalty cards are a system of the loyalty business model. The loyalty business model is a Business model used in Strategic management in which company resources are employed so as to increase the loyalty of customers and In the United Kingdom it is typically called a loyalty card, in Canada a rewards card or a points card, and in the United States either a discount card, a club card or a rewards card. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Cards typically have a barcode or magstripe that can be easily scanned, and some are even chip cards. A bar code (also barcode) is an optical Machine-readable representation of data A magnetic stripe card is a type of card capable of storing Data by modifying the Magnetism of tiny iron-based magnetic particles on a band of magnetic material SCAN or Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry is a set of tools created by WHO aimed at diagnosing and measuring Mental A smart card, chip card, or Integrated circuit card ( ICC) is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated Small keyring cards (also known as keytags) which serve as key fobs are often used for convenience in carrying and ease of access. A keyring is a ring usually made of Metal or Plastic, that holds keys and other small items which are sometimes connected to Keychains

A retail establishment or a retail group may issue a loyalty card to a consumer who can then use it as a form of identification when dealing with that retailer. Consumers refers to individuals or households that use goods and services generated within the economy. By presenting the card, the purchaser is typically entitled to either a discount on the current purchase, or an allotment of points that can be used for future purchases. Discounts and allowances are reductions to a basic Price of goods or services Hence, the card is the visible means of implementing a type of what economists call a two-part tariff. A two-part tariff is a Price discrimination technique in which the price of a product or service is composed of two parts - a lump-sum fee as well as a

The card issuer requests or requires customers seeking the issuance of a loyalty card to provide a usually minimal amount of identifying or demographic data, such as name and address. Demographics or demographic data refers to selected population characteristics as used in government Marketing or opinion research or the Demographic profiles Debt AIDS Trade in Africa (or DATA) is a Multinational non-government organization founded in January 2002 in London by U2 's Application forms usually entail agreements by the store concerning customer privacy, typically non-disclosure (by the store) of non-aggregate data about customers. Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively In Statistics, aggregate data describes data combined from several measurements The store — one might expect — uses aggregate data internally (and sometimes externally) as part of its marketing research. Marketing research or market research is a form of business research and is generally divided into two categories consumer market research and business-to-business (B2B market research which

Where a customer has provided sufficient identifying information, the loyalty card may also be used to access such information to expedite verification during receipt of cheques or dispensing of medical prescription preparations, or for other membership privileges (e. A prescription (℞ is a health-care program implemented by a Physician or other medical practitioner in the form of instructions that govern the plan of care for an individual g. , access to a club lounge in airports, using a frequent flyer card). A frequent flyer program (FFP is a Loyalty program offered by many Airlines.

Contents 1 By country and continent 1.1 United States 1.2 Canada 1.3 Australia 1.4 Europe 1.4.1 United Kingdom 1.4.2 Republic of Ireland 1.4.3 Germany 1.4.4 Switzerland 1.4.5 Hungary 1.5 Asia 1.5.1 Malaysia 1.5.2 Singapore 1.5.3 Indonesia 1.5.4 India 1.5.5 People's Republic of China 1.5.6 Hong Kong SAR 1.5.7 Taiwan 2 Program management 3 Criticism 4 See also 5 References

By country and continent

United States

In the U. S. , several major supermarket chains and at least one major pharmacy require the cards in order for customers to receive the advertised loyalty price. Customer divider barjpg|thumb|In supermarkets sellers periodically change prices for classes of goods in response to market conditions rather than negotiating the price of each good Pharmacy (from the Greek φάρμακον 'pharmakon' = drug is the Health profession that links the Health sciences with the chemical sciences These include Kroger and Safeway (each through both their own name and many of their regional chain names), Albertsons, Winn-Dixie, Harris Teeter, Ingles, Giant Eagle, Tops, and CVS/pharmacy. The Kroger Co ( is an American Retail Supermarket chain and Parent company, founded by Bernard Henry Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati Safeway Inc ( a Fortune 500 company is North America's third largest Supermarket chain with as of December 29 2007 1743 stores located throughout the Winn-Dixie Stores Inc ( is an American Supermarket chain based in Jacksonville, Florida. Harris Teeter is a chain of Supermarkets based in Matthews North Carolina, just outside Charlotte. This article is about an American supermarket chain For a town in Gran Canaria, see Playa del Inglés. Giant Eagle Inc, is an American Supermarket chain with stores located in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland Tops is an American Supermarket chain based in Williamsville, New York, with stores in the western and central regions CVS/pharmacy (commonly called CVS) is a Pharmacy and Convenience store chain in the United States. However, some stores may also allow a customer to use the store's card if a customer does not have theirs on hand (Kroger does not allow this although customers can enter their phone number to bring their card up if they forget it) or if the customer is new and agrees to sign up right away. Many of the stores allow accumulation of fuel discounts. Some have tie-ins with airline frequent flyer programs, and some agree to donate a percentage of sales to a designated charity. A frequent flyer program (FFP is a Loyalty program offered by many Airlines. A charitable trust is a trust established for charitable purposes and is a more specific term than " charitable organisation " Most notably, Wal-Mart does not have a loyalty card plan (though someone who purchases a gift card can generally get a 3 cent discount per gallon of gas at the fuel stations located on Wal-Mart premises). Wal-Mart Stores Inc (or Walmart as written in its new logo is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large discount department stores

The practice is also common among book and music retailers, from large chains to independent retailers. In some instances, the customer purchases the card and receives a percentage discount on all purchases for a period of time (often one year), while in other instances, a customer receives a one-time percentage discount upon reaching a specified purchase level. (For example, a bookseller's loyalty card program might provide a customer with a 10% off coupon once the customer has spent $200. 00 at the bookseller. ) Best Buy's loyalty program similarly offers points redeemable for dollar-amount discounts after accumulating a set number of points along with other discounts from time to time, though the card is not required to receive their advertised price in most cases. Best Buy Co Inc ( is a Fortune 100 company and the largest specialty retailer of Consumer electronics in the United States and Canada

Independent hardware stores such as Ace Hardware and True Value added customer loyalty programs in order to compete more effectively against larger chains as well as gather customer data. Ace Hardware Corp, based in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States is a hardware cooperative that was created in 1924 by Richard Hesse True Value Company is a retailer-owned hardware Cooperative with approximately 6200 independent retail locations worldwide In addition, office supply retailers Staples, Inc. and Office Depot started issuing club cards in 2005. Office supplies is the generic term that refers to all supplies regularly used in Offices by Businesses and other organizations from private citizens to governments Staples Inc is the world's largest Office supply Retail store chain with over 2000 stores Worldwide in 27 countries Office Depot ( is a supplier of office products and services The Company's selection of brand name office supplies includes business machines computers computer software and office

Almost all of the major hotel chains (Best Western, Choice Hotels, Holiday Inn, Marriott, Super 8 Motels, etc. A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging usually on a short-term basis Best Western International Inc claims to be the world's largest Hotel chain with over 4000 hotels in Choice Hotels International ( is a Hospitality holding corporation which owns several hotel brands and is based in Silver Spring in Montgomery County Holiday Inn is a Brand name applied to Hotels within the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG Super 8 Motels Inc is the world's largest budget Hotel chain, with Motels in the United States and Canada, and a few outside of North America ) have similar cards that allow guests to earn either points (redeemable for discounts, future stays or other prizes) or airline miles (Hilton's HHonors program allows guests to earn both points and miles on the same stay, the only program to date that does so). Hilton Hotels Corporation, a subsidiary of the Blackstone Group, is a global hospitality company All major US Airlines also offer rewards credit cards. An airline provides air transport services for Passengers or Freight, generally with a recognized operating certificate or license Other travel related reward programs include SeaMiles, with points that can be redeemed for cruises. See list of travel reward cards.

For now, most American retailers have not implemented club cards. In a few cases (e. g. , Federated Department Stores, Kohl's) this is because the retailer already issues its own credit cards, and thus already has a direct relationship with the consumers most likely to shop at its stores. Macy's Inc ( formerly Federated Department Stores Inc, is a Department store Holding company and owner of Macy's and Bloomingdale's Kohl's Corporation ( is an American Department store chain headquartered in Menomonee Falls Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. A credit card is part of a system of Payments named after the small Plastic card issued to users of the system Also, many retailers are simply not large enough to justify the cost of creating, promoting, and operating a club card program.

Some supermarket customer loyalty cards inadvertently work at the scanners of other non-affiliated stores. Customer divider barjpg|thumb|In supermarkets sellers periodically change prices for classes of goods in response to market conditions rather than negotiating the price of each good For example, a Kroger card has been successfully recognized as a respective loyal club member at stores in the Food Lion, Pathmark and Winn-Dixie chains. An example of a so-called consumer-centric card (without cost, registration, or information-tracking) is the MyJoeCard operating in Kansas City.

A few states have begun regulating club cards. For example, supermarkets in the U.S. state of California are subject to the Supermarket Club Card Disclosure Act of 1999 ^[2]. Customer divider barjpg|thumb|In supermarkets sellers periodically change prices for classes of goods in response to market conditions rather than negotiating the price of each good A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Some grocery chains have dropped their loyalty card programs. Rainbow Foods in Minnesota ended its loyalty card program after being acquired by Roundy's, leaving Minnesota with no major grocers that use such cards. Roundy's Supermarkets ( Roundy's) is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin -based Supermarket chain with 152 stores in Minnesota and Roundy's Supermarkets ( Roundy's) is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin -based Supermarket chain with 152 stores in Minnesota and

There are a few online loyalty programs that offer rewards for being a loyal shopper. The largest of these are Memolink, Mypoints, and Ebates. Memolink is an online loyalty program based in Denver Colorado. Some online loyalty programs focus on "other-directed" consumers, these include uPromise, Schoolpop, and iGive. com.

Canada

The oldest loyalty program in Canada is probably Canadian Tire money, in which the Canadian Tire company gives out coupons. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Canadian Tire "money" (CTM is a Loyalty program by Canadian Tire. Canadian Tire Corporation Limited ( is one of Canada's 35 largest publicly traded companies and operates an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retailing (hardgoods apparel ^[3] The Air Miles reward program is Canada's largest loyalty program - Air Miles can be earned at more than 100 different sponsors and there are almost a thousand different rewards to redeem for. The Air Miles Reward Program is a Loyalty program or Frequent flyer program in Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain (under the brand The Bank of Montreal offers an Air Miles-sponsored program and CIBC offers an Aeroplan program to customers who are enrolled in certain credit card programs or accounts. The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce () better known to most customers as CIBC, is one of Canada 's major Banks CIBC is classified as a Domestic Aeroplan is a Montreal Quebec based loyalty marketing program operated by Groupe Aeroplan Inc ( In Western Canada, another major program is run by Save-On-Foods with the Save-On-More reward program. Save-On-Foods is a chain of Supermarkets located across the Western Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta.

Another large Canadian loyalty program that has been around for a long time is the HBC Rewards/Club Z program first started by Zellers. HBC Rewards is a Loyalty program where customers earn points for purchases at Hudson's Bay Company 's various chains of stores in Canada, including Zellers Inc is Canada 's second-largest chain of mass merchandise Department stores, with 282 locations in communities across Canada. Loblaws offers the President's Choice Financial program where users of the service get PC Points towards free groceries. Loblaws is a Supermarket chain of 68 stores in Canada, headquartered in Brampton, with stores across President’s Choice Financial is a Financial institution that offers banking services through a Joint venture between Loblaw Companies (a Supermarket PC Points is a rewards program offered by President's Choice Financial when users utilize their MasterCard, banking services or Insurance products Some retailers run their own rewards programs, such as Shoppers Drug Mart's Shoppers Optimum Card and Staples Business Depot's Dividends Card. Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation ( is Canada 's largest Pharmacy chain with more than 1000 stores operating under the names Shoppers Drug Mart Company History The Business Depot was originally founded by Jack Bingleman in 1991 with Staples as a substantial investor The irewards program is Canada's largest loyalty program for booklovers, offering everyday discounts and special coupons at Chapters, Indigo Books and Music, Coles, SmithBooks, the World's Biggest Bookstore and chapters. Chapters is a Canadian Big Box Bookstore chain owned by Indigo Books and Music. Indigo Books & Music Inc ( is a retail chain in Canada. It was created in 1996 and their first store called Indigo Books Music & More was opened in Burlington Coles was a Canadian Bookstore chain In the 1930s two brothers Jack and Carl Cole opened their first bookstore near the University of Toronto indigo. ca.

Almost every gas station in Canada offers some sort of program such as Esso Extra at the Esso gas stations, Petro Points at Petro-Canada, Save-On-More at some Chevron stations in BC, Canadian Tire money at Canadian Tire gas stations, or a coupon that grants the customer 3. Esso (SO is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies Petro-Canada () is a Canadian oil and gas firm Its headquarters are in the Petro-Canada Centre in Calgary, Alberta 5 cents off per litre of fuel purchased at Sobeys Fast Fuel locations that can be used at a Sobeys banner store. Sobeys is the second largest food retailer in Canada, with over 1300 supermarkets operating under a variety of banners Loblaws, Atlantic Superstore, and Real Canadian Superstore also grant a 3. Loblaws is a Supermarket chain of 68 stores in Canada, headquartered in Brampton, with stores across Atlantic Superstore is a Canadian Supermarket chain of 51 stores in the Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Real Canadian Superstore is a chain of Hypermarkets owned by Canadian food retailing giant Loblaw Companies. 5 cent a litre coupon that can be used at their stores. Sunoco's CAA reward offering ends at the end of 2007, to be replaced with Sunoco's own Performance Points reward program. Suncor Energy Inc () is Canada 's original Oil sands developer having produced the first barrel of Crude oil from the Athabasca oil sands The Canadian Automobile Association (commonly known as CAA) is a non-profit federation founded in 1913 of nine clubs across Canada, providing roadside assistance

Many hotel chains also offer some sort of loyalty program. Canada is also home to Air Canada's Aeroplan. Air Canada () is Canada 's largest Airline and Flag carrier. The airline founded in 1937 has had its corporate headquarters in Montreal Aeroplan is a Montreal Quebec based loyalty marketing program operated by Groupe Aeroplan Inc (

Australia

The largest loyalty program in Australia is FlyBuys, established in 1994 and backed by Wesfarmers (formerly Coles Group) and National Australia Bank. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. History FlyBuys began in 1994 as a joint venture of Shell, Coles Myer (now Wesfarmers) and National Australia Bank. Wesfarmers ( is one of Australia ’s largest public companies and Australia's largest retailer with its headquarters in Perth Western Australia. Coles Group Limited (formerly Coles Myer Limited was an Australian public company that operated numerous retail chains National Australia Bank (or NAB) is the second largest financial institution by market capitalisation in Australia after Commonwealth Bank. About 2. 7 million Australian households are active members of FlyBuys using about six million cards^[4]. Rival retailer Woolworths offers an Ezy Banking card in partnership with the Commonwealth Bank. Woolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia ( is the largest bank in Australia.

Among other Australian retailers, the largest programs are Myer’s MYER one program (department store), the Priceline Club Card (health, beauty, home), Amcal Club (pharmacy), Millers Retail Club(apparel), and Brazin’s Pulse program (Virgin, HMV, Sanity, dusk, Bras n Things). Myer is Australia 's largest chain of Department stores retailing a broad range of merchandise including women's men's and children's clothing footwear and accessories Amcal (originally an acronym for Allied Master Chemists of Australia Limited) is an Australasian chain of pharmacies Virgin Megastores is an international chain of Record shops founded by Sir Richard Branson on London 's Oxford Street in January or February Pulse has more than one million members. ^[5]

All major Australian banks offer credit cards with reward programs. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Many offer points conversion with the Qantas frequent flyer program. Qantas Airways Limited (ˈkwɔntəs ( is the National airline of Australia. A frequent flyer program (FFP is a Loyalty program offered by many Airlines. Rival airline Virgin Blue offers the Velocity Rewards card partnered with National Australia Bank. Virgin Blue is an Australian Low-cost airline, Australia's second-biggest Airline as well as the largest airline (by fleet size with the Virgin branding National Australia Bank (or NAB) is the second largest financial institution by market capitalisation in Australia after Commonwealth Bank.

The largest online rewards program is EmailCash. EmailCash Marketing is an Australian website run by PermissionCorpwith branches for residents of Australia Taiwan, New Zealand (SmileCity and

Europe

United Kingdom

The loyalty card market in the UK is one of the most significant in the world, with most major chains operating some form of reward system.

Of the "big four" supermarkets, only Sainsbury's and Tesco operate loyalty cards. Both Nectar and Tesco's Clubcard scheme have been criticised for not offering value for money. ^[6] When Clubcard or Nectar points are used for money off supermarket shopping, they roughly equate to a 1% discount, although offers can increase this discount by as much as 4 times for certain rewards. Some retailers with banking operations also award points for every pound spent on their credit cards, as well as bonus points for purchasing financial services. A report in The Economist suggested that the real benefit of loyalty cards to UK outlets is the massive database potential they offer. The Economist is an English-language weekly news and International affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd and edited in London ^[7]

After trials in 1994, Tesco launched its Clubcard program, the UK's first nationwide supermarket-only loyalty card scheme, in 1995 with Dunnhumby. Tesco plc is a British -based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain Tesco Clubcard is the loyalty card of Tesco, the UK's largest retailer Sainsbury's launched its Reward Card in 1996. This was replaced by the Nectar card in 2002, which was launched in partnership with other major brands. The Nectar loyalty card is a Loyalty card scheme in the United Kingdom issued by a partnership of suppliers including the Supermarket chain Sainsbury's

The patronage dividend rewarded the loyalty of the owner members of Britain's retail consumer co-operatives since the Rochdale Pioneers of the 1840s. Dividends are payments made by a Corporation to its Shareholder members A consumers' cooperative is a Cooperative business owned by its customers for their mutual benefit. The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, founded in 1844 was an early Consumer co-operative, and the first to pay a patronage Dividend, forming the basis for the Paper record-keeping transformed in the 1960s into a trading stamp scheme managed by the Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS), which was gradually withdrawn as margins declined. Trading stamps are small paper Coupons given to customers by merchants A Co-operative Wholesale Society, or CWS is a form of Co-operative Federation (that is a Co-operative in which all the members are Co-operatives in this case The loyalty card concept was used by some co-operatives to restore dividend payments at the turn of the 21st century, notably by the CWS's “Dividend” card, which was replaced by The Co-operative Membership card program, adopted by several larger co-operatives. Dividends are payments made by a Corporation to its Shareholder members Co-operative Group Limited, trading as The Co-operative Group, is a United Kingdom Consumers' co-operative, and one of the world's largest consumer-owned

Safeway's ABC Card was discontinued in 2000. Safeway was a chain of Supermarkets and Convenience stores in the United Kingdom. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ^[8] Airlines, Hotels and other loyalty schemes also offer cards. Marks and Spencer and the John Lewis Partnership have credit cards which give vouchers in return for spending, and do not issue separate loyalty cards. Marks & Spencer Group plc (also M&S, Marks and Sparks, and Marks) is a British Retailer with 843 stores in more than 30 The John Lewis Partnership is a major United Kingdom retailer which operates John Lewis Department stores Waitrose Supermarkets and GAME has a reward card scheme for which every pound spent a customer is rewarded 10 points; for every 1000 points that one collects, one gets £2. The GAME Group plc ( (usually known by its High street trading name GAME) is a UK -based Video games retail company 50 to redeem in the store, or online. Preorders earn a customer 20 points per pound.

Ipoints^[9] is a coalition program featuring online retail partners. Rewards are redeemable from 200 ipoints.

UK Websaver is a loyalty card designed to encourage communities to use local businesses.

Republic of Ireland

In the Republic of Ireland loyalty cards have been in operation since 1993, when Superquinn introduced its SuperClub loyalty card scheme. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Superquinn is an Irish Supermarket chain The company was until 2005 entirely privately held by the Quinn family This is regarded as having been the prototype for such schemes in Europe. However, loyalty cards did not expand until 1997, when Tesco Ireland introduced its Clubcard scheme, shortly after its purchase of Power Supermarkets. Tesco Ireland Limited is a Supermarket company in the Republic of Ireland formed in Tesco plc's 1997 acquisition of the Irish retailing This was essentially a simple expansion of the UK scheme (see above) - cards for this are physically identical to those used by Tesco in the UK and they can be used in both countries. Dunnes Stores responded with the introduction of their own ValueClub scheme in June 1997. Dunnes is a Supermarket and clothing retail chain based in the Republic of Ireland. Today these are three main schemes operating in Ireland, although ValueClub has been withdrawn from Dunnes' Northern Ireland stores. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of

All five major petrol station chains in the country operated a scheme during the late 1990s - Esso had "Tiger Miles" (with Tesco ClubCard points offered as an alternative), Maxol had "Points Plus", both of which operated on the principle of getting items from a gift catalogue, with Shell using Dunnes' scheme, Texaco using the SuperQuinn system, and Statoil operating a cash-back system, "Premium Club". A filling station, fueling station, gas station, service station, petrol station, or gasbar, Retail Outlet Esso (SO is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies Maxol is an Irish oil company part of McMullan Bros Limited It was founded in 1920 Royal Dutch Shell plc, commonly known simply as Shell, is a multinational oil company of Dutch and British origins Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron" Statoil ASA was a Norwegian Petroleum company established in 1972, now part of StatoilHydro. Due to increasing oil prices and tightening of margins, all of these schemes ended by the end of 2005. Tesco Ireland's petrol stations still, however, give Clubcard points.

GAME, a major computer game and hardware retailer also operate a cashback card scheme, which was merged with Electronics Boutique's programme following the separation of their northern European stores into the hands of GAME. EB Games (formerly known as Electronics Boutique) is an international computer and video games retailer The scheme returns one-fortieth of the spend, more than twice as generous as Tesco.

Germany

The largest loyalty program in Germany is Payback, which was launched in 2000. According to a study in August 2007 by GfK^[10], 61% of German households have a Payback card. It listed the Happy Points program as having a 42% share, with the Shell ClubSmart program as third most popular with 13%.

Switzerland

Loyalty programs are popular in Switzerland, with the two main supermarket chains, Migros and Coop, leading the field with their offerings. The Migros card can be used at the Migros supermarkets, Ex Libris (books, DVD's), SportXX, and more. Migros (ˈmiɡro is one of Switzerland 's largest enterprises its largest Supermarket chain and largest employer The Coop Supercard earns points on purchases at Coop and a variety of other associated stores.

Other stores such as Interio, a furniture retailer, are also joining the market with loyalty cards and store-based incentivised credit cards. In recent years, online loyalty programs have also started to target the Swiss. First to make an offering in Switzerland was German-based Webmiles. Claiming to be Switzerland's first online bonus program, Bonuspoints was launched in early 2008 and offers incentives for shopping at 70 different online stores.

Hungary

Two coalition loyalty programs loyalty programs in Hungary are SuperShop and Multipont. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic SuperShop was established in April 2000 and is backed by premium partners [1] Kaiser’s Supermarket, K&H Bank, OBI, OMV, Photo hall and PLUS Supermarket.

Asia

Malaysia

In Malaysia, the BonusLink program was introduced in a joint venture between Shell, Parkson, Maxis and MBF. The BonusLink program is coalition with earning and redemption partners allowing members to earn points at a number of Malaysian retailers. Another card is Real Rewards where holders who spend at their merchants get to exchange points for free gifts.

Genting Highlands Resort has its own loyalty card, WorldCard (same as mentioned below) that is primarily used to gain points in Genting Highlands' Resorts and Attractions. Genting Highlands ( Malay: Tanah Tinggi Genting; Chinese: 雲頂高原 (1700m above sea level) is a mountain peak within the Titiwangsa Mountains on the WorldCard is a Consumer loyalty program which began as the membership program of Malaysia 's Genting Highlands Resort in 1984 However, it can also be used for Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Haagen Dazs and it is valid in three countries, namely Malaysia (where Genting Group is based), Singapore and Hong Kong. Starbucks Corporation ( is an international Coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle Washington. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (sometimes shortened to simply "The Coffee Bean" is a Los Angeles California -based Coffee chain owned and operated by International Häagen-Dazs is an American brand of Ice cream, established by Polish immigrants Reuben and Rose Mattus in The Bronx, New Jusco also has its own loyalty card, known as J Card. is the Acronym for Japan United Stores Company, a chain of "ceneral merchandise stores" (or Hypermarket) and the largest of its type in Japan

Singapore

The three largest loyalty programs are WorldCard (aggregate program of Genting Resorts, Suntec City Mall, Star Cruises & Indigoz), LinkPoints (NTUC Fairprice supermarket chain) and SAFRA Card. WorldCard is a Consumer loyalty program which began as the membership program of Malaysia 's Genting Highlands Resort in 1984

Indonesia

Centro Friends card is a loyalty card for Shoppers of Centro Department Stores. The Body Shop People card is the loyalty card for The Body Shop stores in Indonesia. Other notable programs in Asia include KrisFlyer, the Singapore Airlines rewards program, and Asia Miles, which was part of Cathay Pacific. Singapore Airlines Limited ( SIA) ( abbreviated zh 新航 Syarikat Penerbangan Singapura சிங்கப்பூர் ஏர்லைன்ஸ் ( is the Cathay Pacific Airways Limited () is the largest Airline and Flag carrier of Hong Kong.

India

i-mint is India's largest coalition loyalty program, with approximately 5 million members. ^[11] BPCL's PetroBonus is a pioneering program and also one of the largest in the country with about 2 million members for the fuel card program. It also has variants for fleets and convenience store customers. Likewise IOC's Fleet Card Program XTRAPOWER has recently crossed 1 million mark. IOC has launched a loyalty program XTRAREWARDS for Retail Customers.

People's Republic of China

The Smartclub program allows all Shanghai residents to earn SmartPoints free, each time they take the subway, bus, or taxi. Those SmartPoints can be combined with points earned at McDonald's, eLong, Sport100, cinemas, bookstores, and other SmartClub partner retailers.

Hong Kong SAR

Hong Kong also offers the Octopus Rewards program, which started as a chip based smartcard for transport and now, the octopus cards can be used to earn points in certain shops.

Taiwan

The French retailer, Carrefour has recently introduced a new loyalty scheme whereby customers can earn and redeem points for purchases made in the store, and also earn additional points for all purchases made using a Carrefour branded credit card. Carrefour SA ( (karˈfur is a French international Hypermarket chain with a global network of outlets

Program management

Across the globe loyalty programs are increasingly finding the need to outsource strategic and operational aspects of their programs, given the size and complexity a loyalty program entails. Program managers are typically agencies with specialist skills in loyalty consulting, creative and communication, data analytics, loyalty software, and back end operations. Leading providers of such services globally include US-based Kobie Marketing, Inc. , Carlson Marketing & ICLP. Regional players in this field include TMW in UK, Loyaltyworks or Maritz in the U. S. , SurfGold and CTELoyalty in Asia, Loyalty Matrix in Malaysia, DIREM and NetCarrots in India

Criticism

Companies complain that these loyalty program discount goods to people that are buying their goods anyway, and that the expense of doing these programs rarely pays. Other critics see the lower prices and rewards as bribes to manipulate customer loyalty and purchasing decisions, or in the case of infrequent-spenders, a means of subsidising frequent-spenders. Bribery, a form of pecuniary corruption is an act usually implying money or gift given that alters the behaviour of the recipient in ways not consistent with the duties of that person A customer is someone who makes use of the paid products of an individual or Organization. This page is about loyalty as faithfulness to a cause For its use in business see Loyalty business model or Loyalty Marketing. In Economics, a subsidy (also known as a subvention is a form of financial assistance paid to a business or economic sector Commercial use of the personal data collected as part of the programmes has the potential for abuse. It is highly likely that consumer purchases are tracked and analyzed towards more efficient marketing and advertising (in fact, this can be one of the purposes of the loyalty card. ) To some, participating in a loyalty program (even with a fake or anonymous card) funds activities that violate privacy. ^[12] There has also been concern expressed regarding RFID technology being introduced to loyalty cards. Radio-frequency identification ( RFID) is an automatic identification method relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or ^[13]

Loyalty and credit card reward plans might be viewed as modern day examples of a kickback. Political corruption is the use of governmental powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain An employee who needs to buy something (such as a hotel room or an airline flight) for a business trip but who has discretion to decide which airline or hotel chain to use has a powerful incentive to choose the payment method that provides the most credit card rewards or loyalty points instead of minimizing cost for the organization.

See also

• Incentive Program
• Loyalty Marketing
• Incentive

References

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