Australian unions link with hi-tech company Loyalty Now to get cash for workers

Australian workers struggling with cost-of-living pressures will be able to get cash back on day-to-day purchases under a new hi-tech program designed by leading digital rewards company, Loyalty Now.

Union Shopper, the rewards/mass discount arm of the Australian union movement, has added Union Shopper+ to its program, a revamped, hi-tech direct cash rewards system powered by new card-linking technology developed by Loyalty Now.

The Union Shopper-Loyalty Now partnership uses digital technology to challenge the long-standing “points as rewards” programs favoured by traditional models. The user, an Australian union member in the case of this program – gets direct discounts turned into cash and credited back to their payment card.

Gary Bullock, Queensland State Secretary of the United Workers Union, said, “The innovative system was designed specifically for workers doing it tough with the current high inflation induced cost of living pressures.

Andrew Tait, Executive Officer of Union Shopper, said, “A battling union member can get up to 20 per cent (depending on merchant) of a purchase as cash back, which is $40 on a $200 purchase.

“There are currently more than 300 merchants offering cash back to union members, including Subway, Qatar Airways, and Robins Kitchen. That will grow as more workers sign up to the program.

Anurag Vasisth, Co-Chair and Group CEO at Loyalty Now, said, “Loyalty Now is disrupting the reward industry with its best-in-class enterprise grade technology, direct merchant supply pipeline, and frictionless card-based rewards.”

Christopher Carroll, Co-Chair and Chief project Officer at Loyalty Now, added, “It doesn’t matter what card the union members use – their standard bank or credit union eftpos card, Visa, Mastercard, or American Express – Loyalty Now has agreements with all to credit cash back direct to the card used for the purchase.”

Further, Loyalty Now has provided the highest-level security assurance powered by its Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) Level 1 certification.

Gary Bullock said, “The medium-term goal is to encourage as many of Australia’s union members to sign up to Union Shopper+. In turn, this will enable Loyalty Now to grow the merchant pipeline so that more and more workers get bigger and more regular cash deposits to reduce cost of living pressures.”