Fintechs beckon credit card spenders with alternative rewards

Pinata

U.S. consumer credit card debt has set a record, recently passing $1 trillion, pushing firms that offer other types of payments to bolster their own forms of incentive marketing.

For example, Piñata, a fintech that specializes in non-credit card rent transactions, has released Piñata Pay, which includes a Visa-branded debit card to pay rent and offers incentives to use the debit cards instead of accruing debt. Another example is Shopmium, which offers rewards independent of credit cards.

Banks are not yet concerned about the rise in credit card debt, since delinquencies are still relatively low. But the $1 trillion milestone and concerns over an economic downturn have firms like Piñata sensing an opportunity.  

Piñata's target users are people who pay part of their rent with a credit card to gain loyalty points. By adding a debit card, the firm hopes to reach consumers who like to use cards for points but may be getting worried about revolving debt. Renters would still accumulate points, similar to a credit card, with participating merchants offering discounts through co-branding and other merchant partnerships. 

"There are two sides to the argument over paying part of the rent with a credit card," said Lily Liu, CEO of Piñata, which works with about 1,400 property managers. "You can accumulate a lot of loyalty points, but if you don't pay off all of that balance every month you can have thousands of dollars rolling over. And that debt can incrementally build, month over month." 

Renters who pay property managers in Piñata's network can register with the firm to receive cash-back rewards for on-time rent payments, either through online channels or via the Visa debit account. There are also monthly giveaways and other loyalty programs such as Piñata Cash, a form of virtual currency that can be spent at Piñata-affiliated merchants. 

"We want to ensure renters have alternatives to putting some amount of their rent on a credit card or some other debt facility if they are just doing that to get points," Liu said. "With the rise of credit card debt we're adding new ways to access loyalty without debt." 

About 300,000 brands offer rewards via Piñata, including Starbucks and Amazon. There's also a prize-linked savings option, in which consumers set aside a certain amount of savings into a larger pool that gets rewarded like a raffle. Piñata, which is not publicly traded, reports it has paid $3 billion in rewards since its founding in 2019 and has about 220,000 renters. 

In August, Piñata received an undisclosed investment from Wilshire Lane Capital, and new investments from 29th Street Capital and BDev Ventures. Piñata will use the proceeds to expand its rental rewards and credit-building programs, and will add those new features for debit card accounts. The fintech also offers an option to report residential rent payments to credit bureaus, something that is not auutomatically done for rental payments.  

"Reporting rent to the credit bureaus is a passport to the rest of the economy," Liu said. 

Other firms are trying to take advantage of rising card debt. Shopmium, an app that consumers use to locate cash-back offers, has integrated with Venmo to reach the PayPal-owned app's consumers and merchant partners. This fall, Shopmium plans to launch a new cash-back incentive that adds rewards for consumers who use Shopmium's incentive marketing programs more frequently. 

Shopmium referenced PayPal research that found 45% of millennials and 42% of Generation Z respondents use Venmo, providing Shopmium with a way to reach young consumers. The app is also looking to provide an alternative to credit cards for incentive marketing. 

"While I'm a proponent of using the right credit cards wisely, if you can, to get points, I also understand that overspending with credit cards and piling up an overwhelming balance can be an unfortunate but all-to-easy pitfall," said Lisa Thompson, a savings expert at Shopmium, who said the benefits of points and other benefits of credit cards can be "washed away" by interest in a higher rate environment. 

There are signs of demand for incentives, even from secondary providers, or sources of financial services that aren't the consumer's primary bank. Thirty-two percent of consumers are tempted by offers or incentive marketing from alternative providers, according to research from Arizent, American Banker's publisher. This can include points, discounts, or cash back. 

"Credit card interest rates are higher than the last few years, and consumers are accumulating much more debt," said David Shipper, a strategic advisor at Datos Insights.

There are several strategies from alternative providers that coincide with the increase in credit card debt, according to Shipper. 

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Alternative payment options, such as buy now/pay later lending, typically compete against credit card issuers in an effort to reach consumers who want to finance purchases. The use of a "non-credit card" payment makes consumers feel more in control of their debt since it is paid off in a specific number of weeks or months, according to Shipper. Second, consumers, especially younger consumers, seek ways to build or improve credit because they understand the value of good credit. 

"Companies like Piñata are innovative and help consumers build credit for making non-traditional payments, such as rent," Shipper said.