15 successful loyalty program examples
Written by
Zaid Hashmi
Zaid Hashmi
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15 successful loyalty program examples

Published : January 24, 2025

Picture this – It’s a beautiful winter morning, you take a halt at your favorite coffee place before starting your day. As you savor your go-to latte, you check the app and discover you’ve earned rewards for your purchase—bringing you closer to a free drink. You feel the little trill – it’s like the universe is rewarding you for your caffeine habit.

But, here is the thing. Your behavior and the growing gratification inside you is all a masterstroke of a marketing genius who identified what you liked and created a plan that makes you come back for more.

This is the essence of loyalty programs.

From your favorite airline miles to grocery store points, loyalty programs are woven into our lives, influencing the way we shop, travel, and engage with brands. But how did these programs come to be, and what makes them so powerful? 

Let’s decode them in this blog.

What are Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs are typically marketing campaigns that are targeted for customers who have successfully completed at least one purchase and provide them a way (rewards or incentives) to do subsequent purchases with the brand.

While there are multiple types of loyalty programs, the objective of all loyalty programs is to harvest long term customer relationships, improve customer retention and boost purchase frequency.

Types of Loyalty programs

Points based

Point based loyalty programs are the most common and simple type of loyalty program. Customers earn points for each purchase, which accumulate over time and can be redeemed for rewards once a specified threshold is reached.

Tiered

Tiered based loyalty programs are the programs where brands create a loyalty ladder and customers are rewarded and elevated based on their spending levels.

Subscription based

In subscription based loyalty programs, customers subscribe to a product or a service and get rewarded with benefits.

Cashback

In cashback programs, customers are rewarded with a certain component of the money they spent as a cashback.

15 most successful Loyalty Program Examples

While every organization has loyalty/reward programs in some shape or form, there are very few that reach global scale. Let’s learn about 15 most successful ones:

1 – Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime is one of the world’s most popular loyalty program. With Prime, customers would get faster deliveries, exclusive discounts and access to a bunch of Amazon products such as Amazon music. 

Today, nearly 200 million customers subscribe to Amazon Prime, bringing in over $35 billion every year. 

The program does exactly what it’s meant to – retain customers and increase their lifetime value (LTV). In fact, studies show that Prime members spend an average of $1,400 a year, compared to just $625 for non-members.

2 – Starbucks Rewards Program

In 2009, Starbucks set out to boost customer loyalty and encourage repeat purchases. That’s when they launched their loyalty program, Rewards.

Here’s how it worked: for every dollar spent at Starbucks, customers earned “stars.” Once they hit a certain threshold, they could redeem those stars for free drinks, merchandise, and more.

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The program was an instant success, driving customers to return to Starbucks time and again. In fact, John Frammer, a long time business and tech journalist captured the essence of the program in his newsletter – 

“Starbucks is effectively turning my life into a game in the pursuit of free drinks — trying to get me to visit during specific days, times, make new habits of visiting several days in a row, and purchase specific menu items.”

3 – Nike Plus

In 2006, Nike aimed to engage customers more deeply by integrating their fitness journeys with their product experience.

Here’s what it did: Users were rewarded with points for reaching milestones in activities tracked via the Nike app and other devices. Once enough points were collected, members could redeem them for badges, exclusive Nike products, and more. 

The program was a huge success, engaging over 300 million members and driving significant customer interaction.

This is a great example of a gamified loyalty program, where Nike aligned rewards with personal achievements, creating a stronger connection with its customers.

4 – Zomato Gold (now Zomato Pro)

Zomato is arguably one of the few Indian brands that truly understands its customers. In pursuit of boosting its customer retention and revenue for its partner restaurants, Zomato launched “Zomato Gold”. 

This subscription-based program offered steep discounts, exclusive dine-in experiences, and special deals.

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The program stemmed from the insight that Zomato’s customers love value-for-money deals, and dining out is both a social and frequent activity. Tangible savings and exclusivity play a big role when customers choose restaurants.


And the result was amazing. According to Inc 42, Zomato Gold orders contribute to around 40% or INR 3,192 Cr of the gross order value (GOV)

5 – American Airlines AAdvantage program

American Airlines’ “AAdvantage” is one of the largest loyalty programs in aviation history.

Every time you fly with American Airlines or its partners, like Cathay Pacific or Malaysian Airlines, you earn “Miles.” Fly and spend more, and you’ll climb to higher tiers like AAdvantage Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, or Executive Platinum.

Elite members enjoy perks like priority check-in, free upgrades, and faster standby processing.

Designed to reward frequent flyers, AAdvantage hit the mark—boasting 115 million members and generating over $5 billion annually.

6 – Nintendo’s My Nintendo Program

In 2016, Nintendo launched My Nintendo, a global loyalty program aimed at boosting customer engagement and scaling its digital services.

Members earned rewards for spending time on the app, completing missions, and making purchases. These rewards could be redeemed for Nintendo digital products, DLC (Downloadable Content), and game themes.

The program helped Nintendo create an omnichannel ecosystem, encouraging customers to engage with its products while using rewards to promote digital offerings and drive sales.

7 – Target Circle

Target, a beloved American brand known for offering quality and style at affordable prices, launched Target Circle in 2019 to build long-term loyalty and enhance customer engagement.

Here’s how it worked: Members earned 1% cashback on every purchase, along with access to personalized discounts and coupons.

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This personalized approach to customer engagement struck a chord, making Target Circle one of the largest loyalty programs in retail, with over 100 million members saving millions each year.

8 – Dunkin DD Perks

If any brand has nailed quality, affordability, and convenience, it’s Dunkin’.

Taking inspiration from Starbucks’ rewards program, Dunkin’ launched its own loyalty program, Dunkin’ DD Perks, to boost customer loyalty and encourage repeat purchases.

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Here’s how it worked: Members earned 5 points for every dollar spent—the more they spent, the more they earned. Over time, these points could be redeemed for free drinks and other rewards.

The program was a hit, driving higher foot traffic and retention. Members spent 40% more per week on average and visited 30% more often.

9 – Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program

Who doesn’t love staying at luxurious five-star hotels? Now imagine earning rewards for it—that’s exactly what Marriott offered with its Bonvoy loyalty program.

Designed to retain high-net-worth guests and encourage them to choose Marriott wherever they traveled, Bonvoy rewarded members for stays, tours, dining, and other Marriott services. In return, members enjoyed perks like priority check-ins, free Wi-Fi, and exclusive benefits such as complimentary lounge access.

The program featured tiered membership levels—Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Titanium—with upgraded perks at each level.

The result? Bonvoy members now account for over 50% of room bookings across Marriott properties.

10 – Sephora Beauty Insider

In 2007, Sephora, a brand under LVMH, launched its Beauty Insider loyalty program to boost customer retention and drive repeat purchases after the first sale.

Here’s how it worked: Customers could enroll for free and earn reward points for every purchase. These points could be redeemed for a variety of rewards, including deluxe samples, full-sized products, and exclusive experiences.

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The program was a massive success since Beauty Insider members now contribute to 80% of Sephora’s total revenue.

11 – Expedia Rewards

In 2009, Expedia launched its Expedia Rewards program to encourage repeat bookings by rewarding customer loyalty.


The program allows members to enroll for free and earn points by booking flights, hotel rooms, or other services. These points can be redeemed for discounts, free upgrades, or spa credits on future bookings.

The tiered system offers increasing benefits, with Blue members receiving 10% savings and Gold members gaining access to free upgrades and spa credits.

12 – Airtel Black Program

In 2020, Airtel launched Airtel Black, a loyalty program that combines multiple Airtel services, such as postpaid, broadband, and DTH, into a single plan. The primary goal was to boost customer retention, increase average revenue per user (ARPU), and offer a more convenient experience with priority customer support and dedicated service resolution.

Here’s how it works: Customers enrol in Airtel Black, bundle their Airtel services under one plan, and receive a single bill. They enjoy perks like faster issue resolution and personalized service through a dedicated relationship team.

Airtel Black also creates cross-selling opportunities, encouraging customers to add services like broadband or DTH.

13 – Walmart plus

In response to Amazon Prime, Walmart introduced its own loyalty program, Walmart Plus.

The program offers free same-day delivery for over 160,000 products from Walmart stores.

Members earn loyalty points on purchases, which can be redeemed across Walmart’s extensive ecosystem, including streaming services, travel, prescriptions, and fuel.

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It’s a seamless “shop at Walmart, get rewarded everywhere” experience.

The program quickly gained traction, attracting millions of subscribers and positioning Walmart as a strong competitor to Amazon in e-commerce and Costco in physical retail.

14 – Costco Anywhere Visa

In 2016, Costco partnered with Visa to introduce the Costco Anywhere Visa Card, a loyalty program designed to offer enhanced benefits for Costco members while allowing Citi to access the lucrative wholesale retail market.

Cardholders enjoy rewards such as 4% cashback on gas, 3% on dining and travel, and 2% at Costco stores and on Costco.com.

Unlike traditional loyalty programs focused on retention, this initiative prioritized customer acquisition. The strategy paid off, significantly increasing Citi’s customer base while diversifying its portfolio with high-spending Costco members, ultimately driving billions in annual purchase volume.

15 – Uber Rewards

If you live in a metro city, Uber is probably a lifeline for you too. It has made city travel so convenient and comfortable at affordable prices. But, as competitors entered the market with enticing discounts, Uber needed a campaign to enhance customer retention and loyalty. This led to the launch of Uber Rewards.

The program was simple: users earned points for eligible rides and Uber Eats orders. These points unlocked benefits like Uber Cash, priority pickups, and more as members advanced through the program’s tiers.

Uber Rewards successfully reduced customer churn and strengthened loyalty, helping Uber maintain its competitive edge in an increasingly crowded market.

Conclusion

In today’s world, where there is immense competition for grabbing customers’ attention, building customer loyalty isn’t a cakewalk. Companies that leverage their customers’ behavior, preferences and data adequately will benefit significantly since they will be able to build more powerful loyalty programs.

In order to optimise and execute these programs for the utmost quality, consider use of martech platforms such as Netcore. It simplifies how you engage with customers, record their behaviours and can efficiently execute your campaigns across a large demographies. If you are on a look out of a powerful tool, you must consider Netcore. Check out how they helped South East Asia’s leading airline Air Asia enhance customer loyalty.

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Avatar photo
Written By: Zaid Hashmi
Avatar photo Zaid Hashmi
Zaid, a skilled growth marketer with a flair for writing, is dedicated to producing results-driven content. He is passionate about MarTech topics and often researches & writes blogs around it. With a talent for both short-form and long-form content, he has a knack to hold his audience's attention through compelling storytelling and insightful narratives.