America’s Best Loyalty Programs

Newsweek and global data research firm Statista rank 241 loyalty rewards programs in 43 categories.

We wish you an enjoyable— and rewarding— shopping trip.

We shoppers all have our favorite stores or websites, and it’s satisfying when the places we’re loyal to, are loyal to us in return. A birthday present from Sephora? I’m not going to say no. As part of our commitment to reader service, Newsweek partnered with global data research firm Statista to rank America’s Best Loyalty Programs 2021. Our rankings highlight 241 loyalty programs in 43 categories. You’ll probably find some of your favorites on this list, and you may discover some attractive new reward programs as well.

METHODOLOGY

The 2021 ranking of Amer‑ ica’s Best Loyalty Programs was compiled based on the results of an independent survey of more than 4,000 U.S. customers who are members of loyalty pro‑ grams of retailers or service providers in the United States. Customers were giv‑ en the opportunity to evalu‑ ate various loyalty programs: in total, around 16,000 evaluations were collected. The survey period ran from October to November 2020.

We defined loyalty programs as all reward programs that provided the customer with a benefit when purchasing or using the products or services of the associated brands.

The survey was conducted on retailers and service providers from 43 catego‑ ries, providing results for a broad spectrum of loyalty programs in traditional retail, online retail and service segments.

The awarded loyalty programs each received an above average overall score. The final assessment and rankings were based on six evaluation criteria: 1. Ease and Enjoyment: measures the value of the perks of being in the rewards program.

2. Benefit: measures whether the rewards are, in the customer’s percep‑ tion, worth being part of the program. 3. Overall satisfaction: measures whether per‑ sonal expectations were fulfilled and whether the customer is satisfied with the experience of the loyalty program overall. 4. Customer support: measures the level of assistance provided to customers when signing up for the program or having trouble redeeming benefits.

5. Trust: measures the trust in the loyalty program around how they use the personal data provided through the program. 6. Recommendation: measures the likelihood of recommending the pro‑ gram to friends and family.