The Loyalty Newswire from The Wise Marketer
This edition covers: Accor, ARKO/fas REWARDS, Benji, Canadian Consumer Loyalty, Connecticut Tourism, Custom Channels/Thanx, Emirates Skywards, Emotional Loyalty, H Mart, JogPost, Loyyal/GiftOS, McDonald’s, Payit/Rewardz, Shell, Wallet & Banking Apps
FROM THE EDITOR
A busy week in loyalty, with new programs, new funding, and fresh signals from some of the world’s biggest brands
◆ McDonald’s loyalty platform has reached 210 million 90-day active users across 70+ markets — a scale that few brands can match and a foundation for sustained digital growth.
◆ Shell launches the Shell Performance Elite World Mastercard®, broadening its rewards story well beyond fuel into dining, groceries, and everyday spend.
◆ ARKO Corp. reports a 98% year-over-year spike in fas REWARDS enrollments, driven by a revamped mobile app — a case study in what a well-timed digital refresh can do.
◆ Benji closes $6.25M in seed funding to expand its universal API for loyalty partnerships, with JetBlue and 50M+ combined active members already in its network.
◆ Accor launches a Fast Track status promotion through the Perk corporate travel platform — a reminder that B2B loyalty channels are becoming increasingly strategic.
◆ Loyyal introduces GiftOS Point, an AI- and blockchain-powered digital gift card platform targeting retailers, malls, and ecommerce ecosystems globally.
Short Takes this week include Emirates Skywards award cost changes, Connecticut’s new tourism rewards program, banks using apps to drive card preference, and a timely read on why emotional loyalty outlasts any points program.
Bill Hanifin, Managing Editor — The Wise Marketer
SHORT TAKES
● [CA] Canadians are Rethinking Loyalty as Everyday Rewards Take Priority
● [Global] Emirates to Make New Changes to Skywards Award Costs On May 20, 2026
● [Global] How Mapping Customer Locations Can Help Your Business
● [Global] Why Emotional Loyalty Outlasts Any Points Program — and What AI Can’t Replace
● [US] Banks Use Apps to Push Cards Top of the Wallet
● [US] CT Launches ‘Perks & Recreation’ Rewards to Encourage Exploration
● [US] Custom Channels and Thanx: Loyalty Meets In-Store Audio
● [US] Your Carrier Is Selling Your Location Data. Change These iPhone Settings to Stop It
FEATURED STORIES
Shell Introduces Credit Card That Rewards Everyday Spending Beyond Fuel
Shell has entered the co-brand credit card arena with the Shell Performance Elite World Mastercard®, a no-annual-fee card powered by Imprint. The card earns rewards on fuel, dining, groceries, and broader everyday purchases — a deliberate move to stay relevant between fill-ups. For an energy brand, this is a significant pivot: positioning the Shell name not just at the pump, but across the full sweep of consumer spending. The digital-first design signals Shell’s intent to compete on modern card experience, not just fuel discounts.
Accor Launches Fast Track Status Shortcut — But Only Through Perk
Accor is offering business travelers an accelerated path to higher ALL status, but there’s a catch: you must book through Perk, the corporate travel platform. The exclusivity is the point. By channeling a high-value benefit through a B2B platform, Accor incentivizes corporate adoption of Perk while rewarding the road warriors most likely to spend at scale. It’s a smart distribution play — using status acceleration as both a loyalty lever and a channel acquisition tool in the competitive corporate travel segment.
Payit Partners with Rewardz to Strengthen Its Digital Financial Ecosystem
Payit, the UAE digital financial platform backed by First Abu Dhabi Bank, has integrated a customer rewards programme through a new partnership with Rewardz. The move deepens Payit’s ambition to be a one-app solution for consumers to send, spend, save, borrow, and manage money. Embedding rewards directly into a financial super-app reflects a broader regional trend: in markets like the UAE, loyalty is increasingly inseparable from digital banking. For Rewardz, the partnership extends its reach into a growing fintech audience.
Loyyal Launches GiftOS Point: AI and Blockchain-Powered Digital Gift Cards
Loyyal has launched GiftOS Point, an enterprise-grade digital gift card platform combining AI automation with blockchain security. Designed for retailers, malls, D2C brands, and ecommerce players, it supports digital, physical, and phygital gift card programs with multilingual and multi-currency capability for global deployment. The platform signals where the gift card category is heading: away from static plastic and toward intelligent, data-rich instruments that integrate with broader loyalty ecosystems. Loyyal is positioning GiftOS Point as infrastructure for the next generation of reward issuance.
ARKO’s 98% Enrollment Surge Shows What a Mobile App Refresh Can Unlock
ARKO Corp.’s Q1 2026 earnings call highlighted an extraordinary loyalty milestone: fas REWARDS program enrollments jumped 98% year over year, adding roughly 53,000 new members — with nearly half joining after the March launch of an enhanced mobile app. ARKO credited its dealerization strategy, targeted promotions, and the revamped app for improved same-store performance and profitability gains. The numbers make a compelling case that investing in the digital enrollment experience — not just rewards structure — is a high-return loyalty tactic.
Benji Raises $6.25M to Expand Its Universal API for Loyalty Partnerships
Benji, which bills itself as the universal API for loyalty partnerships, has closed a $6.25 million seed round led by Preface Ventures and Atinc, with Great North Ventures, M25, and Hyde Park Venture Partners also participating. Its growing network includes JetBlue and brands such as Cook Unity, 1-800-Flowers, and Chip City — representing 50M+ combined active members. Benji is building the connective tissue that allows loyalty programs to interoperate at scale, addressing one of the industry’s persistent infrastructure gaps: fragmented, bilateral partnership integrations that slow time-to-value for all parties.
Will McDonald’s 210M Loyalty Users Fuel Long-Term Growth?
McDonald’s ended 2025 with nearly 210 million 90-day active loyalty users across 70+ markets, nearly doubling system-wide loyalty sales compared to 2023. Management views the digital base as a compounding asset: the larger it grows, the more precisely the company can target personalized offers, drive visit frequency, and manage promotional spend. The question the article probes — whether this scale translates into durable long-term growth — is the right one. At 210 million members, the challenge shifts from enrollment to sustained engagement and profitability per member.
JogPost Launches JogMiles Rewards for Leaflet Distribution Clients
JogPost, the UK’s leading leaflet distribution company, has introduced JogMiles — a B2B loyalty programme that automatically awards clients points on every distribution campaign, redeemable for discounts on future printing and distribution. It’s a straightforward but effective application of loyalty mechanics to a service business: reduce churn, increase repeat usage, and make the economics of client retention visible and tangible. For practitioners accustomed to consumer loyalty, JogMiles is a useful reminder that the core mechanics translate cleanly into B2B contexts.
H Mart Launches New Member Promotion with Free Welcome Gift
H Mart, the largest Asian supermarket chain in the United States, is running a new in-store membership promotion at select locations in Naperville IL, Orlando FL, and Las Vegas NV — offering first-time Smart Rewards Card members a free welcome gift. The promotion reflects a classic but effective loyalty acquisition tactic: lower the enrollment barrier with an immediate tangible reward. For H Mart, building a registered member base creates the data foundation for future personalization and targeted promotions in a category — specialty grocery — where basket loyalty is hard-won.
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