How issuers can capitalize on card-linked offers to win over consumers

The data: Almost half (46%) of credit card holders that use card-linked offers proactively seek them out, per a PYMNTS Intelligence and Banyan survey fielded between October and November 2024.

This share jumps up to 65% for Gen Zers.

Deal-seeking trends: Proactive cardholders discover offers in a few different ways.

• 26.7% of card-linked offer users regularly check their card provider’s app or website.
• And 19.1% visit a cash-back or rebate platform.

Meanwhile, 26% of credit card holders are active users, discovering them on a merchant’s website, for example. And 28% of users are passive receivers who wait to get discounts directly from the card provider or merchant.

How offers appeal to consumers:

• 75.4% of cardholders want simple and convenient offers.
• 74.1% want offers that apply to a planned purchase.
• 73.8% want offers for preferred merchants.
• And 72.8% want deals on their regular expenses.

Why this matters: Expansive card-linked offers can help draw in users. With card loyalty lacking among consumers, issuers can use them to help boost acquisitions.

• 72% of consumers who said they were satisfied with their credit cards still plan to apply for a new card in the next year, per a 2024 Marqeta survey.
• And 80% of US consumers ages 18-43 who don’t plan on applying for a card said the right feature or reward could get them to apply.

The bigger picture: Given the share of cardholders who proactively seek them out, card-linked offers can also increase the amount of time users spend in their issuer’s app. This can build brand loyalty and give issuers more opportunities to cross-promote their other offerings.

Our take: Card-linked offers can help issuers attract and retain customers, especially Gen Zers.

Issuers can use their customer data to develop personalized offers at merchants they’ve shopped at before or for their top spending categories.

• JPMorgan Chase uses genAI to customize Chase Offers, for example.
• And American Express told EMARKETER it expanded its rewards program by working with a large grocery retailer to target frequent but not loyal customers, offering discounts to make consumers shop there more often and build larger baskets.