Travel rewards program Thanks Again today announced it has forged a partnership with Pentadata, a trusted API-based data platform that puts consumers’ needs first. The agreement between the two organizations enables the loyalty company, which lets members automatically earn rewards when they shop, park, or dine at thousands of retailers in and around more than 100 airports throughout North America, to enhance its offering.
“Our members have long valued the fact that our program is free, secure and easy-to-use,” said Ed Puckhaber, Co-founder, President and COO of Atlanta-based Thanks Again, launched in 2006. Now that the company is working with Pentadata, program participants get even more value from their membership—and from their data.
“Our decision to work with Pentadata is based on our belief that data ownership belongs with the consumer, and that the consumer should be the one to benefit from its use,” said Puckhaber. He noted that in many cases, it’s the banks, card issuers, networks, and credit bureaus, which often mine and sell consumer data, who profit. “After extensive due diligence, we’re firmly in the court that account-linking versus traditional card-linking is the way to go.”
Rather than sign up for the program via their 15- or 16-digit credit card number (card-linking), members are able to link their debit or credit account with a direct connection to their financial institution to share their data (account-linking)—and reap the rewards. Consumers give their explicit consent before data recipients can access their data; data sharing with third- and fourth parties is allowed only with permission; and consumers can opt-out at any time.
In addition, storage of data is avoided. While collecting, saving, and duplicating data is not a best practice, it’s common, according to Puckhaber. “By partnering with Pentadata, our members are assured that the risk of data exploitation and compromise is substantially minimized,” he added.
Thanks Again members have an increased sense of comfort that they’ve actively consented to sharing data in a way that’s safe and secure. They’ve grown accustomed to sharing their account information with their mortgage company, their brokerage firm, with mobile payment services and others—and have gained confidence that this is a smarter approach.
Readers can sign up to automatically earn rewards that can be redeemed for gift cards from Amazon, Walmart, American Airlines and other merchants and restaurants at www.thanksagain.com.
About Thanks Again, LLC
Thanks Again®, headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is the leading loyalty solution provider for the travel industry. Global airports, travel retailers, duty-free operators and local merchants/attractions leverage the company’s loyalty and consumer engagement platform to make travel more rewarding for frequent business travelers and visiting tourists. Thanks Again enables members to automatically earn rewards when they shop, park, or dine at thousands of retailers in and around more than 100 airports throughout North America and beyond. The program is free, secure, and easy for consumers to use. Visit ThanksAgain to learn more or connect via Facebook.com, Twitter.com, Instagram.com and YouTube.com.
About Pentadata
Pentadata believes a transparent approach to commerce makes the world a better place. The tenets of its API development platform include requiring consumers’ permission before their data is used; encouraging developers to access multiple data sources to protect consumers; and building analytical tools that provide insight needed to present meaningful offers. Pentadata is a new way for consumers to connect and control their most important financial data, enabling alignment with their favorite finance and commerce applications on a single, scalable, secure platform. Visit Pentadata to learn more.
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