NALA™️ - North American Loyalty Association

When the trade press covered Weigel‘s latest loyalty refresh, the headline framing was that the Tennessee convenience retailer had swapped a spend-and-points model for one built around visits. Jessica Starnes, director of loyalty at Weigel’s and an active NALA™ member, wants to set the record straight on that point. “We didn’t move away from the points …

Why Weigel’s Built Its New Loyalty Tiers on Visits, Not Just Dollars Read More »

myWalgreens, the free program with more than 134 million members, covering one in three American consumers. The design is deliberately light: no tiers, no points, and a phone number at checkout is the entire barrier to entry, with a flat 1% back as the whole base cost. Member-only sale prices do the persuading. In 2026, …

Loyalty Unpacked – Walgreens Read More »

MyMcDonald’s Rewards, the program behind nearly $37 billion in sales across 70 markets, counted in 90-day active users only: 210 million of them. Most programs report every sign-up they have ever collected. McDonald’s reports members active in the last 90 days, and the design follows the metric: points expire in six months, the first reward …

Loyalty Unpacked – McDonald’s Read More »

Walmart+, the 28 million member paid program from the world’s largest retailer, where members shop 3x more often and visit e-commerce 7x more than non-members. The store is open to everyone and already promises the lowest price to everyone, so the fee cannot sell access and will not sell price. It sells time: same-day delivery …

Loyalty Unpacked – Walmart Read More »

Marriott Bonvoy, the largest hotel loyalty program in the world, counts nearly 283 million members and filled 75% of US & Canada room nights in 2025. Marriott owns almost none of its 9,900 hotels: its business is fees, and Bonvoy is the demand engine that convinces owners to pay them, while card royalties add a …

Loyalty Unpacked – Marriott Read More »

Chipotle Rewards, the 21 million member program that relaunched in April 2026 with its “Rewards on repeat” strategy. While most Quick Service Restaurant programs lean on a calendar of heavy discounts (and quietly train customers to be opportunistic), Chipotle is playing a different game. Points that don’t expire, monthly bonus drops, streaks, badges, and gamified …

Loyalty Unpacked – Chipotle Read More »

United MileagePlus, the loyalty program once valued at $21.9 billion, more than the airline that owns it. The program runs as its own business inside United: most mile sales go to partners, led by the co-brand bank, and since 2024 Kinective Media sells advertising across nearly 100,000 seatback screens and 110 million traveler profiles, with …

Loyalty Unpacked – United Airlines Read More »

Sephora Beauty Insider, the 45 million member program (in North America) that trades in product, access, and experience rather than cash back. A prestige brand can’t keep discounting without cheapening itself. So instead of coupons and cash, Sephora rewards loyalty another way: Rewards Bazaar samples and limited-stock rewards, invitation-only events, and partner experiences from SEPHORiA …

Loyalty Unpacked – Sephora Read More »

Ulta Beauty Rewards, 47 million members generating 95% of the retailer’s sales. The mechanics look simple: points convert to plain dollars off anything, from a drugstore mascara to a salon chair. But at near-total penetration, the program’s real job has moved. It predicts replenishment, personalizes offers, guides store openings, and carries UB Media, where more …

Loyalty Unpacked – Ulta Beauty Read More »

For years, grocery loyalty has been built around one simple promise: save customers money.  The Fresh Market is taking a different approach. Its refreshed rewards program combines personalized offers with tasting events, exclusive experiences and customer feedback, moving loyalty beyond transactions alone.  It surpassed one million members just seven months after launch, while tasting events have driven triple-digit …

Loyalty Unpacked – The Fresh Market Read More »