A cursory check on the major banks in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, and India revealed that almost all of the card products come with a default rewards program of some sorts. The most common form of rewards currency are points, rebates, and airline miles.
There was a time when loyalty programs were deemed the 'killer application' for credit cards. But there seems to be a growing proliferation of 'run-of-the-mill' programs.
What is the relevance of a card loyalty program to an issuer? Have we lost sight of the true business reasons for wanting a loyalty program in the first place?
In the next few weeks, I will be working on a white paper to explore this topic. In the meantime, do share with me your views.