Users of the check-in service Foursquare can now automatically redeem deals offered by merchants on the social-media application using an enrolled American Express Co. card.
Amex on Thursday said it was rolling out a partnership with Foursquare after piloting a test of the service at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, in March.
"The success of our pilot just a few months ago proved that American Express' digital capabilities and Foursquare's expanding application created something extremely powerful," Ed Gilligan, a vice chairman with Amex, said in a press release.
Through Amex's tie-in with application, its cardholders can link their cards to their Foursquare accounts. If a merchant is offering a special that they like, they can check in to that merchant through Foursquare's smartphone applications and have the special automatically loaded to their card account. When they make a purchase with that card, they will receive the discount as a credit on their Amex statement in three to five days.
Amex said it was working with retailers including H&M and Sports Authority to offer exclusive deals for its cardholders who enroll in the service.
Foursquare, which allows people to compete with friends to earn points by checking in to businesses and other locations, has about 10 million users worldwide. More than 3 million check-ins occur every day on the service, according to Foursquare.
The card tie-in was built on a "smart offer" technology that Amex developed as part of its push to grow its customer base and spending on its credit and charge cards through new digital services.
In March, Amex unveiled Serve, a "digital wallet" service that allows consumers to fund a prepaid account using their existing bank accounts as well as credit cards. In April, it announced it was expanding the capabilities of Serve through a partnership with the mobile payments processor Payfone Inc., which would allow customers to pay for purchases at online merchants using their cell phone numbers.
