When one company starts introduce the privilege card, others have to follow. If not, they are out of businesses. For example, Shell introduce Bonuslink card, Petronas with Mesra card, Shell & Esso with Smile card etc.
What's the benefit of using this cards? User only get many little benefit of using this cards. For example they can get points accumulated and could be change with small items or souvenirs. But the real reason these company introduce these cards is to make sure that they can grab their same customers and make sure the same customers keep re-visiting their stores instead of their enemy stores. As a result, nowadays all companies had this kind of cards. Their strategy have changed. They still with the cards, but with many contest. For example, those who fill petrol not less than RM30 from their station would have eligible for entry of their contest. Which companies does not making contest, they will out of business. So they do the same to make sure their customer don't run away.
As customer, we can see it as healthy competition and it benefits us. We also want to grab all the benefits provide by these companies and we must to make sure we don't miss it. So all the privilege cards by different company we have in our wallet.
Now we suffer all this, need to keep all their cards inside our wallet together. Millions of people also have the same card as we have. They also eligible for the contest and the chances of winning for us become narrow. Eventually, all these fucking cards no more gives benefit to us but it only gives our personal information to these companies, how many liters you refill your petrol monthly, where do you refill it, how far you travel inside the country etc.
It only benefits them, not us.
