How It Works

A streamlined onboarding process enables financial institutions and banks as well as non-banks (Brands) to deliver personalized rewards experiences to their customers in the shortest possible timeframe, without the complexity of traditional integrations. By leveraging a fully-featured yet simplified integration option, banks and brands can go live quickly while maintaining security, compliance, and a high-quality customer experience.

Step 1: Provision & Connect

Process:
Cardlytics initiates the onboarding journey by provisioning a secure, hosted rewards platform that is tailored with the bank’s or brand's branding elements-such as logos, color schemes, and messaging-to ensure a seamless extension of the bank’s or brand's digital identity. This hosted environment is designed for rapid deployment and minimal technical friction.

• Cardlytics sets up the branded, hosted rewards experience, eliminating the need for the bank or brand to build or host its own rewards infrastructure.
• Both the bank or brand and Cardlytics establish a secure, shared network connection, ensuring encrypted data exchanges and compliance with industry standards.
• This foundational step is focused on operational readiness, so banks or brands can move quickly to the next phase without extensive IT involvement.

Step 2: Send Data & Link to Offers User Experience

Process:
To power personalized offers, the bank or brand provides only the minimal data required, following Cardlytics’ streamlined data specification. This approach accelerates data approvals and reduces onboarding complexity.

• The bank or brand transmits essential customer and transaction data to Cardlytics in accordance with a simplified data specification, which is designed to expedite compliance reviews and minimize integration barriers.
• Simultaneously, the bank or brand incorporates a direct link or call-to-action within its digital banking or brand app or website, directing customers to the hosted rewards experience.
• This integration is lightweight, requiring only minor updates to the bank’s or brand's existing digital channels, and ensures customers can access rewards with a single click from their familiar banking or brand environment.

Step 3: Test & Go Live

Process:
A collaborative testing phase ensures that all systems function as intended and that customer data flows securely and accurately between the bank or brand and Cardlytics.

• Both the bank or brand and Cardlytics conduct thorough testing of the end-to-end integration, validating data transmission, user experience, and offer delivery.
• The bank or brand verifies that all required data files are correctly formatted and that customer rewards are calculated and displayed as expected.
• Upon successful completion of testing and mutual sign-off, the bank or brand officially launches the rewards program to its customers, delivering immediate value and engagement opportunities.

Simplified Data Onboarding Pathways

To further accelerate onboarding, Cardlytics offers multiple data integration options tailored to the bank’s or brand's technical capabilities and strategic preferences:

1. Minimal Data Specification

• Banks or brands are only required to send data that meets Cardlytics’ minimal, standardized data specification.
• This reduces the time and effort needed for data mapping, validation, and compliance approval, resulting in faster onboarding and fewer errors.

2. Embedded Account Linking Module

• Banks or brands can integrate a pre-built publisher account linking module into their digital channels.
• This module automates much of the data integration process, enabling customers to securely connect their accounts and authorize data sharing with minimal manual intervention from the bank’s IT team.

3. Processor-Driven Data Integration

• With bank or brand authorization, Cardlytics can work directly with the bank’s or brand's payment processor to obtain the necessary data.
• This one-time processor integration allows for hands-free, automated data onboarding, further reducing the bank’s or brand's technical workload and accelerating time to market.

Key Benefits of the Simplified Onboarding Approach

• Speed to Market: Banks or brands can launch a branded rewards program in weeks rather than months, maximizing customer engagement opportunities.
• Minimal IT Burden: The process is designed to require limited internal resources, allowing banks or brands to focus on customer experience rather than technical integration.
• Security and Compliance: All data transfers and hosted experiences are built to meet industry security and regulatory standards, ensuring customer trust and safety.
• Scalability: The approach supports future enhancements and feature additions with minimal incremental effort, allowing banks or brands to keep pace with evolving customer expectations.

By following this streamlined onboarding process, banks or brands can quickly deliver high-impact, personalized rewards experiences with minimal disruption to their existing operations.