Australian loyalty program members reveal their awareness, comfort, and concern
Results from the 13th edition of the annual Australian customer loyalty and loyalty program research study, For Love or MoneyTM 2025, reveal that 66% of loyalty program members are aware of AI being used to enhance their loyalty program experience.
The research with members of loyalty programs investigated their awareness as well as comfort and concern with six ways AI is transforming their loyalty program experience.
These included AI delivering more personalised rewards, customer service such as 24/7 service agents and customer support, smarter product suggestions, and boosting efficiency by automating routine tasks.
It also researched AI being used to detect and prevent fraud, along with AI adapting program benefits based on individual engagement and rewarding loyal behaviour with tailored incentives.
Report author and CEO of The Point of Loyalty, Adam Posner, said, “With AI here, there and everywhere, I was keen to understand the impact on the loyalty program experience, from the members’ point of view.”
Posner highlighted, “From an awareness point of view, members are most familiar (38%) with AI being used within Customer Service, such as AI-powered chatbots, virtual assistants, and service agents. This was followed by the benefit of personalisation and relevance (28%), where AI analyses member preferences and behaviours to offer tailored rewards and benefits relevant to each member.”
He added, “What is interesting is the insight that members are most comfortable with AI detecting and preventing fraudulent activities in real-time, providing peace of mind. While AI used for Customer Service had the highest awareness, members expressed the highest concern with this AI use, arguably due to there being little or no human contact”.
Loyalty to the loyalty program vs loyalty to the brand vs both
With loyalty programs being a fundamental member engagement strategy for many brands and businesses, the research uncovered the insight that 41% of members are loyal to both the brand and its loyalty program.
Posner commented, “Loyalty programs are not an island off the coast of the brand. The loyalty program is a promise and a proof point of the brand, and members are seeing them as being connected.”
Programs continue to improve
The For Love or MoneyTM research study has been tracking program improvement since 2017, and in 2025, almost three in four members (73%) believe loyalty programs have improved in recent years, up from 51% in 2017.
Posner highlighted, “Program improvement has steadily increased over the past eight years and is validation of how the loyalty program industry has continued to innovate and improve its program propositions and member experience over the longer term.”
Loyalty programs and the Data Value Benefit Exchange: DVBx.
Another first in the ongoing research study was identifying the benefits members want when engaging with loyalty programs and exchanging their personal and purchase data with programs. The five benefits members want in exchange for their data:
1. MONEY (70%) “Programs saving me money”
2. RECOGNITION (33%) Programs recognising me as a valued member.”
3. TIME (31%) “Programs saving me time and making my life easier”
=4. JOY (30%) “Programs making my life more joyful”
=4. RELEVANCE (30%) “Programs that are personalised and relevant to me”
Posner said, “It’s clear loyalty programs and the benefits provided are an exchange for data and for the first time we have an insight on the five benefits members want when engaging with loyalty programs and exchanging their personal and purchase data with programs”.
A complimentary Executive Summary of the full report is available at www.thepointofloyalty.com.au with a comprehensive report available for purchase at www.thepointofloyalty.com.au.
Media Contact
For further information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Adam Posner: CEO – The Point of Loyalty
0433 818190
adam@thepointofloyalty.com.au
About the research
The For Love or MoneyTM 2025 research is the 13th Australian edition of the annual research study. It was commissioned by The Point of Loyalty and conducted independently by First Point Research and Consulting in the first quarter of 2025 through a national online panel of 1,010 Australian consumers of men and women aged 18+ who are members of at least one loyalty program. The research was structured to gain quantitative results with comparative analysis as well as qualitative insights.
About The Point of Loyalty
The Point of Loyalty is a strategic customer loyalty and loyalty program consultancy dedicated to driving business growth from existing customers through valuable loyalty and rewards programs. CEO Adam Posner is a customer loyalty and loyalty program specialist and has been involved in the design, development, and deployment of customer loyalty and rewards programs across industries, including entertainment, pharmacy, hotels and accommodation, trade, education, hospitality, and retail (various).