For example, with T-mobile, I can register my credit card, and if I use that credit card at any of the participating outlets, I can earn cashback. Similarly, if I register a non-Bilt credit card with Bilt, then I can earn Bilt points on ‘eligible spend’. How are they able to access my credit card transactions? and are they getting access to only the participating outlets, or all of my transactions? and what do they gain by doing these schemes other than increasing their brand value?

  • shackled
    16•9 months ago

    I’ll also add that spending habit data is very valuable in terms of advertisement. We are in the age of very targetted advertisement. Just a random example: *user14555* on our T-Mobile app eats at a restaurant for lunch every Thursday. Have the app pop-up with a coupon from one of our participating restaurants on Thursday morning.

    Restaurant will pay or give exclusive coupons to T-Mobile in exchange for these benefits. T-Mobile then hopes to entice more users by listing their app and “exclusive coupons” as unique benefit to using them as a cellphone provider. All the major providers have more or less settled at similar prices for cellphone plans so they lean on these extras as marketing tools.