German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that Germany will start reopening for business on Monday, April 20. Smaller stores up to 800 square meters may resume operations then. Schools will be allowed to reconvene starting Monday, May 4. CardLinx Insight: Germany is the largest economy in Europe. Its decision to ease restrictions is similar to those already made by China and...

According to recent news reports, US airlines are negotiating with major card-issuers to have the banks pre-buy miles. Most airlines have been hit hard by Covid-19, grounding as many as 70% of flights—and putting the industry in desperate need of cash. Card-issuers would buy airline loyalty points and link them to card spending as an incentive to drive card use....

Apple Card announced on Friday that its 3% cash-back card-linked offers at Walgreens would also be valid for drive-thru purchases and on purchases made through the drug retailer’s e-commerce site. Because of Covid-19, merchants are seeing a significant shift in sales to online, and away from in-store. CardLinx Insight: Covid-19 has upended many business models—including those related to card-linked offers....

By Silvio Tavares, CEO, The CardLinx Association At a time like this, when our personal lives and professional lives are unexpectedly upended, it‘s tough to stay optimistic—and not lose sight of unseen opportunities. As we witness the enormous scale of death, sickness and suffering caused by Covid-19, it can be difficult to see the silver lining. But it is often...