AT&T, ExxonMobil, Macy's, Nationwide, Rite Aid, Direct Energy and Hulu are joining with American Express to launch Plenti, the first U.S.-based coalition loyalty program with well-known brands where consumers can earn and use Plenti points for purchasing a wide range of products, regardless of the payment method consumers choose to use. The program will officially launch this spring and is expected to include more brands in additional categories, according to a press release.

Recent research indicates that nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of Americans say they would prefer a rewards program that enables them to shop at many stores versus a single brand, American Express said in the announcement. Plenti is designed to address that need, giving consumers options to earn points and additional value through special offers and product discounts. Plenti will be free to join, and consumers can earn points and discounts using any form of payment accepted by the participating brands, including cash, prepaid and any debit, charge or credit card.

Plenti offers multiple ways for consumers to earn points:

• Earn Plenti points when buying a tank of fuel at a participating Exxon- or Mobil-branded service station and use the points for savings toward a pair of shoes at Macy's or macys.com.
• Earn Plenti points when signing up for qualifying wireless services at AT&T, or for eligible charges on AT&T wireless bills.
• Earn Plenti points for eligible Nationwide auto or property insurance.
• Earn Plenti points by taking advantage of special offers on a wide range of beauty, health and wellness and everyday items at Rite Aid.

Every 1,000 points will translate to at least $10 in savings, and Plenti members can earn points faster by activating special promotional offers across participating brands or through Plenti's online offer center and online marketplace, according to the announcement.

"This is a perfect time for a coalition loyalty program in the U.S., as online marketing becomes more efficient and American consumers become more accustomed to rewards programs, special offers and discounts," said Ed Gilligan, president at American Express. "With American Express' deep experience with the Membership Rewards program and acquisition of Loyalty Partner in 2011, we are the right company to operate a loyalty program of this scale, involving such celebrated brands."

US Loyalty is a division of American Express that will serve as the operator of Plenti, and will issue the rewards and oversee the centralized marketing activities for the program in collaboration with the founding companies. In addition, US Loyalty will be responsible for securely managing consumer data collected through Plenti.

In 2011, American Express acquired Loyalty Partner. The company operates three subsidiaries including: Payback, a multi-partner loyalty program designed to deliver value to consumers and generate additional revenue for participating companies. Today, Payback manages coalition loyalty programs in Germany, Italy, Poland, India and Mexico and has more than 60 million active customers.