What if the reward points you earned from your morning coffee, flight miles, or online shopping could help educate a child or protect the environment? Across India, more than ₹15,000 crores worth of loyalty points remain unspent — a vast reserve of untapped potential. If even a fraction of these were redirected, they could fund education, support reforestation, and create real social and environmental change.
That’s the vision behind Points for Good, founded by Brian Almeida, a pioneer of India’s loyalty and CRM industry. The platform enables millions of people to convert their unused reward points into support for causes such as education, tree planting, and animal welfare. In partnership with leading banks like HDFC, ICICI, SBI, Axis, and American Express, Points for Good empowers over 100 million cardholders to make giving effort effortless. With 18 NGO partners and 40+ projects aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, it exemplifies how loyalty can be transformed into a movement for purpose.
Having spent over three decades building some of India’s most successful loyalty programs, including Jet Privilege, Taj InnerCircle, and Shoppers Stop’s First Citizen Club, Brian Almeida brings both expertise and empathy to this new vision. In this interesting article, he reflects on how brands can make loyalty relevant again by embedding purpose, sustainability, and inclusivity into every interaction. Through simple, thoughtful design, Almeida believes that loyalty can do more than reward; it can transform lives.
Read the full article below to explore how the future of loyalty is being reshaped—from rewards to responsibility.
Do you earn loyalty points on your credit card spends?
Do you know your points balance?
Did you know those points could help fund a social cause?
Most cardholders can’t answer two of these three questions. Every year in India, credit card companies issue reward points worth over ₹1,500 crores—much of which expires unused. Across retail, airline, and hotel loyalty programs, the unspent pool is estimated at nearly ₹15,000 crores.
Now imagine if even 1% of this value was channeled into social good. Or if 10 million members donated just 100 points each. That could mean thousands of trees planted, tons of plastic kept out of oceans, or children given access to education. Your unused rewards could become your gift to the next generation.
Loyalty Beyond Rewards
Traditionally, loyalty catalogs were designed as simple “thank you” gestures for customer spend. But loyalty is no longer just about perks—it’s about shaping behavior.
When members see the real-world impact of their points, programs shift from transactional to transformational. This aligns with a broader truth: today’s consumers, especially younger generations, expect brands to stand for more than profits. They want to see action on sustainability, inclusivity, and social responsibility—and they reward brands that share their values.
Research shows just 1% of the world’s population is responsible for nearly half of global aviation emissions. This stark imbalance highlights the need for loyalty programs, particularly frequent flyer schemes, to evolve.
Designing Sustainable Loyalty Programs
Brands have a unique opportunity to reimagine loyalty with purpose. As I’ve often said:
“In today’s climate-conscious world, customers who over-consume are seen as harming the environment. For the next generation, loyalty must remain aspirational—but also responsible.”
Simple design choices can reshape consumer behavior:
- Incentivize greener travel: points for traveling light, going paperless, or choosing low-carbon routes.
- Promote sustainable consumption: rewards for refill packs, plastic-free purchases, or recycling.
- Enable social giving: allow members to donate points to NGOs, plant trees, or support education.
- Encourage responsible tech use: higher rewards for buying energy-efficient appliances, EVs, or green mobility solutions.
Instead of only status tiers like Silver, Gold, or Platinum, loyalty programs could create communities—Green for eco-warriors, Blue for ocean protectors, Pink for inclusivity champions. Such models are not only more purposeful but also more emotionally engaging.
Case Studies in Purpose
Some brands are already pioneering this shift.
- The LaLiT Hotel Group integrates sustainability and inclusivity into its loyalty program, allowing members to participate in ongoing social initiatives.
- Points for Good, led by CEO Smita Khot, provides a platform for members to donate points toward causes aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Covering areas such as child education, women’s empowerment, animal welfare, and elder care, it connects members to 40 projects through 18 NGO partners.
To date, over 75 million points have been donated, with almost every major Indian bank enabling customers to contribute. The pandemic accelerated this trend—when redemption options were limited, members of American Express and HDFC directed large volumes of points toward food and medical aid for those in need.
Loyalty as a Communication Channel
Loyalty programs are not just reward engines—they are trusted communication platforms for a brand’s most engaged customers. This makes them powerful tools for building deeper emotional bonds.
Gen Z, in particular, seeks brands that reflect their values. They care about sustainability, diversity, and social justice, and they prefer to buy from companies that take action in these areas. Research shows that true loyalty is not built on points alone but on emotional connections.
This is where initiatives like World Loyalty Giving Day, launched in partnership with The Wise Marketer, come in—encouraging programs globally to embed purpose at their core.
Making Every Point Count
The vision is clear: make giving simple and frictionless. By donating points, members can contribute to meaningful causes without spending from their wallets. Whether it’s sending a child to school, supporting cancer care, or planting trees, every point matters.
As Smita Khot puts it: “Whether it’s a dinner or a holiday, the points you earn can change someone’s life—you don’t need to dip into your wallet for that.”
The call to action is simple: #MakeEveryPointCount. If frequent flyer programs, hotel loyalty schemes, retail clubs, and marketplaces all adopt purpose-driven giving, we could create a culture of everyday generosity.
The Road Ahead
The pandemic reminded us of the importance of caring for each other and reaching out to those in need. It also showed how loyalty points, when redirected, can fuel positive impact at scale.
The future of loyalty lies in programs that go beyond transactions to foster shared purpose. If brands embed social good into their loyalty design, they won’t just win more customers—they’ll win more loyal ones.
We still have miles to go. But with every point donated, every tree planted, and every child educated, we move closer to a world where loyalty is more than a business strategy—it’s a force for social good.
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