Bonus cards
A bonus card is a physical or virtual card of a Loyalty program Member, which is issued in the Loyalty Program to receive preferences. Bonus cards are used for identification customers at cash register while making purchases. The card allows a registered Member of the Loyalty Program not only to receive discounts, but also to accumulate bonuses and pay for purchases with them. Bonus cards have various states. Depending on the state, the set of actions that can be performed with bonus cards may vary. Card states and client states have their own characteristics, but also have relationship. In addition to the states, bonus cards have two more main parameters: type and category. |  |
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Card types
The Loymax system provides physical and virtual bonus cards. There are three types of cards in total:
- Main (physical);
- Additional (physical);
- Virtual.
A physical card is a bonus card on a physical medium, on which, as a rule, to identify the client, are placed:
- card number;
- barcode;
- magnetic stripe.
Physical cards can be main and additional.
The main card is a physical bonus card that can be merged under one account with one or more additional cards. In this case, the main card is the parent card, and it can be used both for accrual and for withdrawal bonuses shared with additional cards.
An additional card is a physical bonus card that has a parent and inherits its state. Additional cards are issued to be linked to the main bonus card and have the same owner as the parent card, but it is impossible to deduct bonuses using such a card. Additional cards in conjunction with the main bonus cards make it possible to implement a scheme of the type Parent card + Child Card. Discounts, accrual and withdrawal of bonuses are allowed for the main (parent) card, and only discounts and accumulation of bonuses are possible for additional (child) cards. For using additional cards it requires certain actions to be performed in the MMP.
Virtual Card is a bonus card available only in Mobile App or in Personal Account. It can be used as a client identifier/a member of the Loyalty program when making purchases. No issue creation is required for virtual cards.
When registering in the Loyalty Program of a new customer, you can use both physical and virtual cards. Using special settings determines which cards will participate in the registration process. The settings also determine whether the attachment of cards is mandatory when registering in the Loyalty Program and whether a Member of the Loyalty program can receive a card later, after the registration process is completed.
Card issue
To distribute physical bonus cards to customers, the System generates card issues. For each issue, the type, category and the required amount of cards are set. Card numbers are generated according to the specified template. The cards must be prepacked before being sent to print. When prepacking, each card is assigned with identifiers (number, barcode, information for magnetic stripes, CVC code). Cards from prepacked issues can be distributed at points of sale.
There is no need to create virtual card issues in the System, because they are automatically generated according to a given template. Read more about this in a separate article.
Card issue channels
Depending on the type of card (physical or virtual), the channels for issuing cards will differ. Since the main card is physical (it is a plastic data carrier), such a card can only be issued at the cash register from hand to hand. If a customer receives/buys a bonus card at the cash register, the cashier is obliged to issue a plastic card to the customer, which will be linked to the customer in the future if he/she registers in the Loyalty program.
A virtual card is not limited by the issuance channel (in the case of a virtual card, its issuance is considered to be issuance). The issuance of a virtual card depends on the configurations in the System, namely, whether the mandatory issue of a virtual card is configured or not. If the mandatory issue of the card is configured, the card will be linked to the client immediately after one's registration in the LP. In this case, the delivery channel can be: a cash register, a Contact center, a Mobile application or a Personal Account. If the issue of a virtual card is optional, then in this case,Personal account and Mobile app can serve as issuance channels, if they support the functionality of issuing a card after registration in the Loyalty program.
Another channel for issuing cards is the application Wallet, where you can issue a new virtual card or, if you have a physical card, digitize the card in the application.
Card categories
Bonus card categories determine the level of preferences and opportunities for cardholders.
Card categories are created to group bonus cards according to certain criteria, for example, you can divide bonus cards into Regular (cards valid for all Loyalty program customers) and Employee cards, then configure special offers in the MMP for different categories. One offer can be valid for several categories of cards at once, but each category will have its own rules. For example, if an employee has quit, then you can transfer his card category from Employee Card to Regular, valid for all clients of the Loyalty program.
Security
The number of each card is unique and, as a rule, consists of 15 – 16 digits formed by a special algorithm. We have developed recommendations for the formation of templates of card numbers.
For additional protection of bonus cards, CVC code, applied to its reverse side. The obligation to generate CVC codes is set during the creation of card issue.
Using dynamic QR codes of bonus cards gives a high level of security. A new QR code for the card is generated in the Personal Account of the LP Member which helps to protect the client's bonus funds.
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