The Loyalty Newswire March 30, 2026

The Loyalty Newswire from The Wise Marketer

From the Editor

Zaxbys has latched on to the madness of march by teaming up with two key players for the Duke Blue Devils. State Farm and T-Mobile is also hot on the trail of the top college basketball players. The NIL and transfer portal is certainly paying out for players and maybe this is the future of influencer marketing.

Academy Sports and SmartNews have launched new programs, the latter rewarding people for reading the news. Maybe our crowded inboxes will finally payoff!

There are new partnerships announced, and some interesting research that shows a growing digital divide between the generation in perspectives on fraud and paying taxes.

Don’t miss any of this week’s Newswire and, make sure to apply for attendance at the Loyalty Leaders Summit coming up on April 29. If you are searching for a new opportunity, check availability below. If you have a job to post, send us your information.

We are here to help you succeed. Let us know how we can help.

Bill Hanifin, Managing Editor, The Wise Marketer

Short Takes

March Madness Inspires ZAXBYS to Offer Fans Sign-On Bonus to Transfer their Loyalty

Capitalizing on the popularity of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, commonly referred to as “March Madness”, chicken focused QSR Zaxbys announced a partnership with Duke University’s Boozer Brothers, asking customers to “transfer their loyalty to Zaxby’s”. Full Press Release here.

Having some fun based on the Transfer Portal, Zaxbys offers the first 100,000 new Zax Rewardz members to transfer their loyalty to Zaxbys and receive a “sign-on bonus” in the form of free Dry Rub Menu Items with the purchase of any size drink from March 23 to April 6. There’s also a Boozer Brothers Digital Exclusive Meal available via the Zaxbys App and through third-party delivery from March 23 to April 26.

Apply to Attend the Loyalty Leaders Summit 2026

In an age defined by data, automation and elevated expectations, brands are reimagining how they connect with their customers. The theme of this year’s Leaders in Loyalty 2026 is Precision Loyalty: The Era of Intelligent Engagement.

Hear from Keynote speaker Kelly Mahoney, CMO Ulta Beauty, Loyalty Science Lab executives and more while networking with your fellow loyalty, marketing, and customer experience leaders during an immersive day exploring the future of intelligent customer engagement. Apply now.

Academy Sports + Outdoors Launches New Tiered myAcademy® Rewards Credit Card and Enhanced Loyalty Program

Academy Sports Outdoors announced the national rollout of the new myAcademy Rewards Mastercard® Credit Card, and enhanced myAcademy Rewards program, part of a reimagined payments and loyalty portfolio developed in partnership with Bread Financial.

The refreshed myAcademy Rewards program delivers value to every member whether they shop in-store, online, or on the Academy app. Read the full report here.

SmartNews Launches New Rewards Program for Reading the News

SmartNews, a global leader in news discovery, announced the launch of the first-of-its-kind rewards program for in-app news reading in the United States. The SmartNews Rewards allows users of the SmartNews app to earn valuable points for reading news articles, reclaiming the joy of staying informed.

The versatile SmartNews Rewards is free to join, and users are automatically opted in to all available challenges, allowing them to earn points by reading a certain number of articles within a specified time period. Read the full release here.

New Study from ACI Worldwide says Gen Z Adults Not Filing Taxes as Digital Divide Widens

ACI Worldwide released its third annual ACI Speedpay Tax Payment Trends report, a nationally representative survey of 1,198 US adults conducted in partnership with YouGov. The report found that nearly one in three Gen Z adults (30%) say they do not file a federal tax return, and another 30% are unsure whether they will file at all.

While digital tax filing and payments are now the default for most Americans, how people file, pay, and think about fraud still vary sharply by generation. Concern about fraud differs sharply by age. The generation least likely to file taxes is also the least concerned about fraud, highlighting a growing gap between risk and awareness among younger Americans.

Walmart-backed OnePay adds tokens in push to serve ‘new to crypto’ customers

OnePay, which is majority-owned by Walmart, has added more than a dozen crypto tokens to its offerings. OnePay has positioned itself as a US version of a “superapp,” modeled after China’s WeChat. The platform offers banking services including high-yield savings accounts, payment cards, loans and wireless plans.

OnePay is not the only company pursuing a financial services superapp. In late September, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong outlined plans to build a crypto superapp, offering credit cards, payments and Bitcoin rewards to rival traditional banks.

International Loyalty Awards Update

The excitement for the International Loyalty Awards is building and you are invited to join the festivities in Atlanta on April 29-30, 2026. There has been an incredible range of submissions, showcasing loyalty programs and initiatives from across every continent.

2026 promises to be a landmark year for the loyalty community as Loyalty Connect Global expands to bring the world’s loyalty leaders together at major global hubs: Dubai and the United States.

Ethiopian Airlines Partners with Marriott Bonvoy to Elevate Member Travel Benefits

Ethiopian Airlines Group, Africa’s largest airline group and Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s award-winning travel program announced a strategic partnership that gives travelers more opportunities to earn and redeem points and miles across both hotel stays and flights.

Eligible members of Marriott Bonvoy and ShebaMiles, Ethiopian Airlines’ loyalty programme, can convert ShebaMiles into Marriott Bonvoy points for hotel stays, upgrades, and more, as well as Marriott Bonvoy points to ShebaMiles to book flights. Read the full press release here.

object studio’s Bella Loyalty Platform Integrates with Playersoft ONE

object studio, creator of the recently announced Bella loyalty platform – providing a cohesive loyalty app, kiosk, member portal, and digital signage solution – announced a strategic partnership and integration with Playersoft, a leader in casino loyalty and player development solutions.

The collaboration will see Bella integrate with Playersoft ONE – the next evolution of Playersoft’s award-winning mobile technology: combining legacy enrollment, group, and event management.

Rental Escapes’ industry-leading travel advisor REwards Program celebrates three years

Since first launching in 2023, the full-service luxury villa company’s unique vision has allowed travel advisors to take advantage of every booking, with more than 80 million points issued and over 90 travel advisors taking advantage of free villa vacations.

Travel advisors are automatically enrolled in the program upon registration and begin earning points immediately with each booking. Points never expire and advisors receive quarterly updates so they always know where they stand. Learn more here.

Why the Next Era of Flexible Payments Won’t Be About New Debt

Analysis of 2025 holiday spending data revealed that Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) is no longer an alternative payment method – it is quickly becoming the default. But changes are in the wind, as aggregate spending numbers hide a structural fracture in the digital economy.

BNPL may have democratized access for retail consumers buying apparel and electronics, but this article says it is quietly failing a massive, growing segment of the market. Read about the latest trends in BNPL.

Elevate’26 Convenes CX Leaders to Chart the Future of Agentic AI and Mobile-First Innovation

Elevate’26, the premier Customer Experience Summit, will take place April 13–14, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando. Airship, the mobile-first customer experience platform provider, is the lead event sponsor and is joined by Gummicube, Branch, Jacquard, Twilio, Merkle, VML and Infillion.

Elevate’26 is designed to provide marketing leaders with practical frameworks for turning Agentic AI strategy into real results. Attendees will hear from industry leaders at Forrester, Google Cloud, Airship, and top global brands applying agentic AI technologies to remove friction, increase customer lifetime value, and drive measurable conversion and revenue growth. Register today and explore the full agenda: https://www.elevatesummit.info/elevate26-orlando/.

New Loyalty Roles Available

Engage People has an opening for a Client Director, Client Success. Please visit this link to learn more and apply if interested.

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