PAYBACK has been a daily shopping companion for Germans for many years - both in bricks-and-mortar stores and online. The program is now also available in Austria, Italy, Poland and several other countries in the East, such as Croatia and Slovenia. In 2025, Germany's largest loyalty system is not only celebrating its 25th birthday, but also the year of major changes - with new partners where points can be collected and new services.
31 million consumers use PAYBACK
PAYBACK was launched on 13 March 2000 as the first multi-partner bonus program with nine partners. After just one month, one million customers were already collecting PAYBACK points - today there are 31 million active consumers who are rewarded with points when they shop at over 700 partner companies. These include Aral, Amazon, Alnatura, dm-drogerie markt, Decathlon, C&A, Otto and Thalia.
PAYBACK goes out with REWE and in with market leader EDEKA
2025 will see the launch of several new major partners who will also offer points: Although the cooperation with REWE and Penny will end at the end of the year, the food retail market leader EDEKA and the Netto Marken-Discount, which is part of the EDEKA group, will be cooperating with PAYBACK instead. And instead of Fressnapf, whose PAYBACK partnership ends in March 2025, PAYBACK customers can collect points in the new “PAYBACK Tierwelt”. The car-sharing provider MILES recently joined the program.
What else is new? Savings banks and travel
The savings banks' cooperation with PAYBACK will also be launched next year. Millions of customers will then be able to collect points with their Girocard at participating partners. This will also be possible at more than 10,000 locations of regional retail partners that are currently linked to the savings banks' partner programs. PAYBACK is also currently expanding the “Travel” area: It is currently possible to collect points when booking with 60 partners, including AIDA, Booking.com, Condor, Expedia, FTI, HolidayCheck, rtk and Reiseland travel agencies, Lufthansa, SunExpress and TUI. They also offer the opportunity to save on travel.
Customers benefit from program expansion and a multi-partner app
With EDEKA, Netto Marken-Discount and the savings banks, the bonus program is further expanding its market leadership. Millions of points collectors can collect even more points locally and in online stores and thus save even more money - between 200 and 500 euros per year are easily possible if coupons are used cleverly. The best way to do this is with the PAYBACK app, which has become one of the top 3 shopping apps in Germany with a reach of 12.5 million users. The practical thing about the app is that it not only bundles 700 partners, but also offers many functions at the same time like a Swiss army knife: shopping, collecting PAYBACK points, redeeming points, activating coupons and making mobile payments.
Mobile payment with PAYBACK PAY: now also online
What was previously only possible in bricks-and-mortar stores - namely paying simply and securely with the PAYBACK app in a single step, collecting points and redeeming them at the same time - now also works online. The innovation partner for the new online payment function is dm-drogerie markt, with more partners to follow. According to Statista, PAYBACK PAY, together with PayPal and Klarna, is already one of the most important and best-known mobile payment functions in Germany.
You can find a PAYBACK graphic here.