Deep Dive: Fintechs get more aggressive and creative around debit card rewards programs

For many fintechs, debit cards act as their monetization engine. As users spend, they pocket part of the interchange fee. To encourage users to swipe more, we’re seeing a resurgence of rewards programs around debit card usage — something that waned after the financial crisis of 2008 and new regulation that capped fees for debit cards. Tearsheet’s Sara Toth Stub recently published ‘Programs without gotchas’: Startups get more creative with rewards programs for debit card holders. We invited Sara on to the podcast to talk about what she was hearing in rewards land, what’s new with incentives around debit cards, and where this may all be headed. We discuss: Initial pullback from debit cards rewards Fintech leads a resurgence in debit card rewards programs Innovation? Rise of the super apps Creative rewards What’s driving debit rewards programs Looking ahead with debit rewards Flexibility and tailor-made programs are also a theme