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The Loyalty NewswireMay 12, 2025

Global News Roundup from The Wise Marketer

From the Editor

The Northeastern US is stringing together a series of warm and sunny days, lending confidence to the hope that the ambivalence of spring weather is behind us and summer is around the corner.

We hope this Newswire brings some sunshine into your life. We receive dozens of press releases each week and encounter news in customer loyalty through our reading and conversations. There is always too much news that is “fit to print,” so we curate carefully on your behalf so that you don’t have to scour the internet with feverish FOMO on loyalty news.

Highlights this week are the story of how Microsoft Rewards’ Million Dollar sweepstakes changed the life of one person who participated – and won! We also point your attention to the launch of Rove Miles. The start-up that grew out of Y Combinator is seeking to upend the loyalty market for consumers by offering what they call the first “universal airmile.”

As we publish this Newswire, we are in the closing phase of our next CLMP™ workshop, May 20-22, 2025, in Dubai. This workshop is organized and hosted by our training partner, QBF Consulting  – and like all our workshops, this time together presents a fantastic opportunity to learn, network and grow.  The event is close to selling out, so if you are interested, please register here: Loyalty Academy™ Dubai Workshop. 

As always, we are here to help you succeed. Let us know how we can help.

Bill Hanifin, Managing Editor, The Wise Marketer

Short Takes

Microsoft Rewards Gives Back Millions to Users

Microsoft Rewards started in Bing a decade ago, and it is designed to give back to Microsoft users, who can then donate their rewards to over 1M charities or convert them to hundreds of gift card options. Microsoft Rewards has grown to a company-wide loyalty program, with users earning loyalty points by searching on Bing, playing games on Xbox, shopping for games and digital content in the Microsoft Store, and more.

In this post from Jordi Ribas, CVP, Microsoft, you’ll witness the emotional moment when “Ron” is presented with the Microsoft Rewards $1 Million USD Sweepstakes prize. This happened one month ago. As the post recounts, Ron’s journey is a testament to resilience, exemplifying the spirit and purpose of the program. Microsoft is dialing up another edition of this content. Stay tuned for a $2,000,000 USD Sweepstakes, coming soon!

Rove Miles Launches from Y Combinator and Promises the First Universal Airline Mile

Rove Miles launched with the promise to consumers to “Earn the first universal airline mile.” The startup launched out of Y Combinator says that Rove Miles are the most valuable rewards currency, providing the cheapest way to get to get to your destination across a wide range of international loyalty programs. Rove supports 12 transfer partners across all three major airline alliances: Star Alliance, SkyTeam, and oneworld.

The company is backed by top-tier venture firms, including General Catalyst and Soma Capital, as well as angel investors from fintech unicorns like SoFi. While Rove doesn’t yet offer a co-branded credit card, the startup has hinted at future features like card-linked offers, dining rewards, and even private jet perks. Behind the scenes, Rove is also developing an AI-powered travel agent to help users find the best deals within the platform and partner networks. The feature is expected to surface redemptions dynamically and streamline the booking process.

Chemist Warehouse & ShopBack (Aus) roll out Pay by Bank rewards

Chemist Warehouse Group is an Australian company operating one of Australia’s largest chemist retailers with over 500 stores in Australia. The company brands itself as offering discounted prices for pharmaceutical goods with the brand tagline “We Beat Everyone’s Prices.”

The company announced a collaboration with ShopBack, jointly launching Australia’s first in-store Pay by Bank service with rewards for consumers. The collaboration means shoppers at Chemist Warehouse stores across Australia can now make in-store payments directly from their bank accounts using the ShopBack app while also earning Cashback rewards. This system, utilizing Banked’s Pay by Bank technology, has been introduced in response to growing concerns about rising card surcharges for both merchants and consumers.

Ebbo and Wise Marketer Release Latest in Strategy Brief Series: The New Loyalty Playbook

The latest Wise Marketer Strategy Brief (WMSB) is released in cooperation with ebbo and is titled “The New Loyalty Playbook.” This first eBook chapter of three examines a concept that is core to the future of loyalty strategy development – how brands can leverage new loyalty fundamentals to foster meaningful customer relationships that stand the test of time.

If your ultimate goal is to embed customer engagement within a habit loop that repeatedly delivers satisfaction, download “The New Loyalty Playbook” to build a robust framework for lasting growth and impactful results.

Breaking News & Press Releases

Sunoco LP to Acquire Parkland in $9.1B Deal

U.S.-based Sunoco has announced a $9.1 billion acquisition of Canadian fuel supplier Parkland to create the largest independent fuel distributor in the Americas. Parkland’s board unanimously approved the deal, which offers a 25% premium to shareholders.

The acquisition includes Parkland’s 4,000 retail sites and the Burnaby refinery, a key fuel source for British Columbia. While some shareholders remain undecided, analysts say Sunoco is well-positioned for this deal, which is expected to close in the second half of 2025.

Top 100 US Convenience Store Chains in 2025 Published

CS News has published the 2025 list of the Top 100 US Convenience Store Chains, and you can download a copy of the report here. The list was compiled in partnership with Nielsen TDLinx using March 2025 data. As the report shares, merger and acquisition activity in the category was more quiet than in previous years. As a result, the U.S. convenience store landscape has remained mostly unchanged.

Consistent with the prior year, the top three chains are Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven Inc. with 12,369 stores, Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (ACT), with 5,851 stores, and Casey’s with 2,899 stores. These three companies account for a combined 21,119 stores of the industry’s 152,192 total locations or 13.87%.

Global Hotel Alliance Releases New Report: What Travelers Want Most from Loyalty

New research from Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) has unveiled three defining trends shaping the future of hotel loyalty – simplicity, personalisation, and experiences over discounts. The report says that independent hotel loyalty programmes that deliver on these fronts are gaining ground on their larger counterparts, preferred for their clarity, flexibility, and meaningful travel experiences over traditional models built around rigid points systems.

GHA’s newly released report, What Travellers Want Most From Loyalty Programmes, is based on recent research with members of its global GHA DISCOVERY loyalty programme. The report highlights a clear shift in traveller expectations and rising demand for loyalty schemes that are intuitive, deliver genuine value, are easy to use, and elevate the overall stay experience.

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