Payback (loyalty card)

Payback (English " Redemption" ) is in Germany since March 2000 bonus system or a debit card and a registered trademark by the owner Payback GmbH. It differs from customer cards of individual marks by the utility in a variety of transactions of different industries to enable data mining by means of the participating companies with a comprehensive information about the lifestyles of the cardholder.

  • 4.1 Privacy
  • 4.2 Low benefit

Operation

The Payback card is presented during the checkout process at the checkout while shopping at the stationary partners. Payback customer number, date, branch, sales and by some payback partners, department code are transmitted to payback. On the purchase price the customer gets a different company after discount amount in the form of points on his points tally credited.

A payback point has a nominal value of one cent ( € 0.01 ). It will be awarded to the value of 0.5 to 4% of the purchase price points. Once on a Payback account 200 points were collected, they can be redeemed for prizes, vouchers or cash from 2 euros used for further discounts Lufthansa bonus miles ( "Miles & More" ) exchanged or different aid projects in a " Payback donation world " will be donated.

Unredeemed points that are older than 36 months will expire at the standard map variant September 30 of the calendar year.

Card issuing and partner companies

Maps

The cards are usually issued in cooperation with one of the "Official Partner", but there are also neutral Payback cards. The respective cards have a different design, but at each partner and for all service services the same functionality.

In addition to free " Payback Bonus Card" is available on request, payable from the second year " Visa Card" (formerly " Payback Premium Card" ), both with real credit card function, as well as a prepaid credit card. The debit card "Plus Card" was reissued in 2009 as a free " Maestro card " in partnership with MasterCard. The " Maestro card " was taken by the retreat of WestLB as editor in fall 2012 from the marketing. These three number cards are supported by the BW - Bank since the end of 2012. The new owner American Express was established in November 2012, the new dark blue "Payback American Express Card" was added as a credit card in the offer. Allen payment cards in common is that they promise when using bonus points and avoid the points expiration, provided that the period of 36 months at least one bonus point is collected.

Partner

There are more than 40 official length partner (so-called "Official Partner" ), plus more than 500 online shops partner (so-called " online dating " ), where cardholders earn points on affiliate base.

Official Payback partners are in addition to the five so-called " Platinum Partners" Aral, dm drugstore, REWE, Kaufhof and Real hypermarket for example Alnatura, Apollo-Optik, denn's organic market, Danish bed warehouse, depot, Sixt, Linda pharmacy group, RTK travel agencies, Runners Point, TeeGschwendner, Vattenfall, WMF, Dehner garden center expert and. In addition, there are nationwide since 2008 acceptance pharmacies that participate in the Payback program, but do not belong to Linda pharmacies group. Basically, not all branches of a payback partner automatically in the Payback Program, but only those who have agreed to sharing the cost of the payback company, or be driven by the Group on its own. In particular, this concerns the RTK travel agencies, but also, for example, some Aral petrol stations.

Online partners include Amazon.de, Conrad Electronic, eBay, REWE and Zalando. In the online partners but cardholders can usually only collect points when they log on the official website of payback at the shops and order.

Payback offers since 2010 a mobile app for smartphones. Since 2012 you can collect on Facebook more bonus points in the so-called "Payback Likes Lounge". This establishes a connection of the card profile is also made ​​to the user profile of the cardholder on Facebook, what Payback allows you to capture additional, deeper personal data, such as the acquaintance relations of the cardholder with each other.

Business and financial figures

Payback has launched its program in March 2000. The company has its headquarters in Munich and employed up to 180 employees in 2011. The on the Payback card sales transacted partner amounted to around 15.2 billion euros. 2011 possessed 59 percent of German households have a Payback card ( GfK). Payback processed according to own data in 85 million direct mail, 270 million e- mail newsletter and its brand partners in over 22,000 retail outlets present.

The Payback GmbH is part of the Loyalty Partner Group. American Express announced in December 2010 to take over Loyalty Partner for 496 million euros. The purchase was completed in March 2011.

Since September 2009, Payback is also active in Poland. In June 2010, Payback's mother Loyalty Partner has a majority stake in Indian market leader "i- mint" taken over a year later, from "i- mint" "Payback India". Since 2014 Payback is also active in Italy.

In February 2011 it was announced that the company is expanding its business area into online and couponing. The strategic decision Payback occurs in direct competition with well-known coupon sites like Groupon, Daily Deal and kaufDA. At locations in Germany about 150 people are employed in 2011. To Payback's competitors in the German market for customer loyalty programs which Germany belongs Card

Criticism

Privacy Policy

The card is privacy politically controversial, especially in consumer protection associations. The card enables the transparent customers; so could be drawn from the collected data to draw conclusions about the lifestyle of the customer and measure the success of advertising. In 2000, Payback was awarded the negative price Big Brother Award.

In 2001, the Munich Regional Court banned after a complaint by the Berlin consumer protection organization under the threat of an administrative fine in the amount of $ 500,000 or imprisonment for up to six months, the further use of the Payback contained in the application forms central consent clauses. Payback designed then all participants new forms.

The Federal banned in 2008 after a lawsuit by the Federation of Consumer Organizations a clause in Payback registration form to the extent that the canvassing could be sent by SMS and e -mail. Reason was that the company lacked the statutory express consent of the customer. The clauses on data use for the mail advertising, market research and the use of birth and rebate data, the court held admissible.

Customer registration forms are partly captured by the company GHP Far East in Vietnam and after presentation of the Southwest Broadcasting (SWR ) were traded illegally.

In May 2012, the company was checked by the TÜV. It was confirmed that payback has a " TÜV -certified privacy" and handle the data that is collected through participation in the Payback program, responsibly and in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Data Protection Act ( BDSG).

In the terms and conditions is referred to as the operator of the bonus system of Payback Discount Club eV to give the impression of a customer initiative.

Low benefit

According to the Consumers Association of North Rhine -Westphalia, the potential savings are minimal - often less than one percent, often only half a percent. To get as a bonus a flat screen TV, one would therefore stock up for at least 150,000 euros. Also, it was in premiums with charge often so that the desired product with other providers is cheaper than the co-payment.

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