The Loyalty Newswire from The Wise Marketer
This edition covers: Aeroplan, Air Canada, Apple Pay, Arko, Blackstone, Charles Schwab, CLMP™, DraftKings, FIS Global Payments, Fiserv, Fontainebleau, Hilton, Krak, Leal Hub, Mastercard, McDonald’s, Paze, Peacock, RSA America, Shell, SILA, Sionic, Thunes, Trig’s Markets, Wyndham
FROM THE EDITOR
The news this week spans Australia, China, North America and more. Two highlights to note.
Loyalty valuation is on the rise. The investment in Air Canada’s Aeroplan by Blackstone set the value of the frequent flyer program at a high of CDN$10 billion. And Arko, owner of GPM Investments and operator of over 3,200 convenience store locations, highlighted the contributions of its loyalty program to corporate earnings in its latest earnings report.
Loyalty cynics are becoming more vocal, and McDonald’s just became the poster child for their cause. We’ll dissect this growing trend in a featured article next week.
If you’ve been thinking about the CLMP™ credential, seats are going fast for October’s Mexico City workshop with Leal Hub. Additional workshops in Brazil, Colombia, Dubai, and the US will be announced soon.
Bill Hanifin, Managing Editor — The Wise Marketer
SHORT TAKES
- [AU] Mastercard Services Restored After Payment Outage Disrupts Shoppers Across Australia
- [China] Hilton, Bank of Communications and Mastercard Launch Co-Branded Credit Cards in China
- [US] Shell and McDonald’s Launch Limited-Time Joint Promotion
- [US] Fontainebleau Turns Its Rewards Program Into Vegas-Wide Passport With New Experience Collection
- [US] DraftKings Elevates Customer Loyalty Experience With Crown Cash and Enhanced DraftKings Rewards
- [US] Thunes and Fiserv Announce Strategic Collaboration to Transform Global Platforms
- [US] Krak Launches Multi-Asset Debit Card for U.S. Customers
- [US] Sionic Launches Instant Bank Pay in U.S. Through Microsoft Marketplace
- [US] Streaming Service Peacock Launches Test of Membership Rewards Program
- [US] What You Need to Know About Paze, the Digital Wallet From Zelle Owner Early Warning Services
- [US] Jennifer Bailey to Retire After Leading Apple Pay Since 2014 Launch
CLMP™ TRAINING SPOTLIGHT — MEXICO CITY
Certified Loyalty Marketing Training™ Workshop Coming to Mexico City
Leal Hub, the leading customer loyalty and strategy consultancy in Mexico, is hosting a CLMP™ workshop with the Loyalty Academy in Mexico City on October 21–22. This is the credential that distinguishes professionals who design and lead customer strategies in B2C and B2B markets — an important professional development opportunity for loyalty practitioners across the region.
FEATURED STORIES
Air Canada Announces CDN$2.5 Billion Minority Equity Investment in Aeroplan Led by Blackstone and La Caisse
Air Canada announced that funds managed by Blackstone and La Caisse, together with other leading Canadian institutions, are making a CDN$2.5 billion minority equity investment in Aeroplan Inc. The investor group is acquiring a 25% non-controlling stake that values Aeroplan at CDN$10 billion — one of the highest loyalty program valuations on record. Air Canada retains full control over Aeroplan’s strategy, operations, and day-to-day management through its majority interest, and the airline says members, partners, and employees will see no changes as a result of the transaction.
Arko Earnings Report Highlights Loyalty
GPM Investments is leaning on its loyalty program to weather a tough operating environment, executives said on parent company Arko Corp.’s second-quarter earnings call. President, CEO and chairman Arie Kotler noted that loyalty members spent more than twice as much as nonmembers in Q2, with roughly 50% larger basket sizes and visit counts — even as consumer sentiment hit “historic lows” during the quarter. Fuel promotions proved especially effective: a 10-cent-per-gallon discount introduced in June drove double-digit growth in gallons sold on Tuesdays, underscoring loyalty’s role as a lever during economic softness.
McDonald’s AI Predicts Your Next Order in 515-Page Data File
Wired reporter Reece Rogers requested his McDonald’s loyalty data and received a 515-page algorithmic dossier that doesn’t just track his order history — it predicts what he’ll buy next and concludes he’ll never stop coming back. The story pulls back the curtain on how consumer brands are weaponizing loyalty programs with AI-powered behavioral prediction, turning every Big Mac into training data. It frames the restaurant industry as a testing ground for AI-driven customer retention, part of what it calls a $50 billion behavioral-prediction arms race disguised as rewards programs — a cautionary tale for any brand leaning hard into personalization.
Trig’s Markets Launches Loyalty and Fuel Rewards Platform With RSA America
RSA America, a digital marketing solutions provider for independent grocers, is deploying its unified commerce intelligence platform at Trig’s Markets, a regional grocery chain serving Northern Wisconsin. The rollout brings loyalty, fuel rewards, and digital promotion capabilities to Trig’s five-store network in Rhinelander, Minocqua, Manitowish Waters, Eagle River, and Tomahawk — giving the independent grocer enterprise-grade loyalty tools typically reserved for national chains.
Wyndham Sweeps Top 3 Extended Stay Hotel Brands
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts swept the top three spots in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Extended Stay Hotel Brand. ECHO Suites Extended Stay by Wyndham took top honors just two years after its 2024 debut, now with 20+ open locations and 300+ contracts awarded. Hawthorn Extended Stay by Wyndham placed second, outperforming midscale competitors by 35% in revenue generation across 100+ global locations. WaterWalk Extended Stay by Wyndham rounded out the podium in third, distinguished by its LIVE|STAY model offering both furnished and unfurnished residences.
Southeast Asia & India Loyalty Association Launches as Regional Industry Organization
A new regional trade group, the Southeast Asia & India Loyalty Association (SILA), has launched to bring together brands, loyalty specialists, and technology partners working on customer engagement and insight across the two markets. SILA joins Loyalty Group APAC alongside the Australian Loyalty Association and the New Zealand Loyalty Association, reflecting the fast-growing appetite for structured loyalty expertise-sharing across Asia-Pacific as more brands invest in regional program strategy.
Why Cash Can Feel Like Fun Money to Young Spenders
Mobile payments and banking apps have changed how Gen Z thinks about money. Cash that arrives from tips, side gigs, or gifts can feel separate from everyday budgets, and that separation often turns it into “fun money” earmarked for treats and impulse purchases. The article notes that digital notifications make card purchases feel more visible than cash spending, which can blunt Gen Z’s sense of how much they’re actually spending. Tracking cash and assigning it a specific purpose, the piece suggests, can help make spending more intentional.
Debit Is Becoming Gen Z’s Money Management App
A new PYMNTS Intelligence tracker, “The Incremental Imperative: Why Debit Innovation Is the New Standard for Cardholder Loyalty,” produced with FIS Global Payments, finds that debit remains highly relevant to young consumers managing both essential and discretionary spending. But Gen Z is bringing different expectations to the relationship, treating debit cards less like a simple payment tool and more like a daily financial control panel. That shift, the report argues, gives banks a fresh lever to compete for loyalty beyond traditional rewards points.
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