When Loyalty Points Start Acting Like Money. 💳

What feels like a free reward is often a carefully priced currency hiding in plain sight.

Across airlines, retailers, banks, and apps, loyalty points now shape how we spend, where we shop, and when we buy, especially during the holidays.

From points-funded gift purchases to expiring balances that push rushed redemptions, loyalty programs are designed to feel generous while quietly driving behavior. And behind every “reward”? Data, psychology, and balance-sheet math working in the background.

In this week’s StayWired, we break down how loyalty programs became a parallel economy, why points feel more valuable than cash, and how brands turn rewards into real revenue.