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Amex US to launch nationwide Loyalty Coalition

The programme will officially launch this spring and is expected to include more brands in additional categories. Plenti will be free to join, and consumers can earn points and discounts using any form of payment accepted by the participating brands, including cash, prepaid and any debit, charge or credit card.

Recent research suggests that nearly three-quarters (72%) of Americans say they would prefer a rewards programme that allows them to shop at many stores versus a single brand. Plenti is designed to address that need, giving consumers options to earn points and additional value through special offers and product discounts.

Benefits for Consumers Plenti offers multiple ways for consumers to earn points:

• Fuel
  Earn Plenti points when buying a tank of fuel at a participating Exxon- or Mobil-branded service station, and use the points for savings toward a pair of shoes at Macy's or macys.com.
• Mobile phone service
  Earn Plenti points when signing up for qualifying wireless services at AT&T, or for eligible charges on AT&T wireless bills.
• Insurances
  Earn Plenti points for eligible Nationwide auto or property insurance.
• Health & Beauty
  Earn Plenti points by taking advantage of special offers on a wide range of beauty, health and wellness and everyday items at Rite Aid.
• Special promotions & offers, offline and online
  Every 1,000 points will translate to at least $10 in savings, and Plenti members can earn points faster by activating special promotional offers across participating brands or through Plenti's online offer centre and online marketplace.

"This is a perfect time for a true coalition loyalty programme in the US, as online marketing becomes more efficient and American consumers become more accustomed to rewards programmes, special offers and discounts," explained Ed Gilligan, president for American Express. "With our experience with the Membership Rewards programme and acquisition of Loyalty Partner (operator of the Payback programme in Europe) in 2011, we are perfectly placed to operate a loyalty programme of this scale."

How it will operate
US Loyalty is a division of American Express that will serve as the operator of Plenti, and will issue the rewards and oversee the centralised marketing activities for the programme in collaboration with the founding companies. In addition, US Loyalty will be responsible for securely managing consumer data collected through Plenti.

In 2011, American Express acquired Loyalty Partner. The company operates three subsidiaries including Payback, a multi-partner loyalty programme designed to deliver value to consumers and generate additional revenue for participating companies. Today, Payback manages coalition loyalty programmes in Germany, Italy, Poland, India and Mexico and has more than 60 million active customers.

Have you seen The Customer-Focused Marketing Playbook?

This comprehensive and practical guide to the latest ideas in customer-focused marketing hands you over 200 packed pages of strategy, best practices, do's and don'ts, practical know-how, facts and figures, and ideas to optimise your marketing strategy, boost sales, market share, increase ROI and profit.

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