Engage People is a technology-first loyalty network that enables consumers to use their reward points directly at e-commerce and retail checkouts as a flexible payment method. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Engage People CTO Len Covello to learn more.
Len Covello’s Background
Could you tell me more about your background? Covello said:
“I originally started working in the web space in my mid-teens when the internet was still a bit of the wild west. I started taking on contract work to build web applications for North American companies, and this led to the creation of my first web development agency, specializing in e-commerce development. From there, we began doing work for a client in the loyalty and incentive space, which we eventually acquired (The Fairlane Group), and that is when my focus and interest in the loyalty sector really began. I’ve always had an eye for the creative user interface and user experience, which I think has coupled very well with my love of technology and building things.”
Formation Of The Company
How did the company come together and what are your primary responsibilities? Covello shared:
“Engage came together through the combined belief by some industry leaders that there was an opportunity to bring advanced technology into the Loyalty Space. The original co-founders all had significant experience in Loyalty, launching programs for some of North America’s largest brands.”
“Engage People was founded in 2008, ultimately developed to address a growing need in the market to help brands and loyalty programs deliver more meaningful engagement by creating more accessible, flexible and valuable solutions. As CTO, I’m responsible for defining and executing our technology roadmap, ensuring our platform continues to scale, and driving innovation across our fintech-powered loyalty network. Much of my focus is on building the “handshake” between retailers and loyalty program sponsors, enabling members to pay with points seamlessly at checkout — just as they would with a credit or debit card.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Covello reflected:
“I’ve had a lot of incredible experiences in my career. I’ve been able to travel the world, design and build solutions for tier-one companies and work with an incredible team of individuals here at Engage People. But I think one of the most interesting stories stems from our work to design a solution that was a precursor to our fintech-powered loyalty network, Access Plus.”
“The ability to pay with loyalty points at checkout didn’t catch on quickly at first, so we worked day and night to build a solution that would still accomplish our goal without needing to involve major retailers first (in this case, our goal was Amazon). Instead, we built a solution that generated a tokenized payment card that allowed Marriott Rewards members to pay with points on Amazon with a browser extension. Within one week, the volume we generated caught the attention of the global online retailer and served as a key building block of our Access Plus product today. It’s amazing to look back at the journey and see how building a complex path helped us open the front door to a new partnership.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Covello explained:
“Engage People offers a suite of loyalty products that help merchants and loyalty programs turn points into real-world value. Our core products and features include:
- Loyalty as Real-Time Currency: Engage transforms loyalty points from slow-earning, hard-to-use rewards into instant purchasing power online and in-store, addressing consumer frustration with outdated loyalty models.
- Value for Banks & Retailers: Engage helps institutions meet rising expectations for personalization and speed, driving retention, unlocking new customer segments, and embedding loyalty spend into everyday commerce.
- Built-In Scalability: New loyalty programs and retailers instantly add incremental value to all participants without additional technical work, creating an organically expanding loyalty economy.
- Real-Time, High-Speed Technology: Engage processes balance checks and redemptions in under 500 milliseconds, using advanced APIs that enable non-fiat transactions outside traditional rails — positioning loyalty points as a true everyday digital currency.
Challenges Faced
Have you faced any challenges in your sector of work recently? Covello acknowledged:
“It might be surprising to learn, given it’s one of our lead solutions today, but an early challenge we faced was the ability to pay with loyalty points at checkout. To overcome this, we focused on building solutions that demonstrated the demand for this type of solution without waiting for large retailers first.”
“By proving transaction volume and consumer interest early, we were able to validate the model and build momentum that helped accelerate broader acceptance of Pay with Points as a mainstream redemption option.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Covello noted:
“Since launching, Engage People’s technology has evolved from traditional loyalty redemption mechanics into a real-time, networked payments platform that treats loyalty points as a form of digital currency. Early loyalty systems relied on delayed, batch-based redemptions and limited merchant options, but Engage built an infrastructure that enables real-time balance checks and point redemptions directly at checkout — both online and in-store. Through its Access Plus network, the company expanded Pay with Points beyond single-program use cases into a scalable ecosystem connecting loyalty programs, financial institutions, payment platforms, and retailers. Today, Engage’s API-driven architecture supports sub-500 millisecond transactions, cross-channel commerce, and non-fiat payments outside traditional rails, reflecting a broader shift from static rewards to instant purchasing power embedded in everyday commerce.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Covello cited:
“One of our most significant milestones has been the mainstream adoption of Pay with Points at checkout. According to our 2025 research conducted with The Wise Marketer, 79% of U.S. consumers reported using Pay with Points in-store or online, which is double the adoption rate from just two years earlier in 2023, when only 37% had tried it and nearly half were completely unfamiliar with it as a payment option.”
“This shift demonstrates clear momentum in consumer awareness and comfort with real-time point usage at checkout and underscores how Pay with Points has moved from being an unfamiliar feature to a core expectation within loyalty ecosystems. Our research also confirmed that flexibility has become the new currency of loyalty, with 96% of respondents valuing the ability to choose when and how they redeem points.”
“Additionally, Engage People has facilitated the redemption of more than 34 billion points to date through its first-of-its-kind loyalty network, which now connects loyalty programs with global payment systems and online retailers across 100% of the top purchase categories in North America.”
Customer Success Stories
Can you share any specific customer success stories? Covello highlighted:
“A strong example is our partnership with Medibank, one of Australia’s largest health insurers, where Engage’s technology powers the Live Better rewards program. Through this program, nearly one million members earn points for verified wellness activities such as exercise, sleep improvement, and nutrition, which can then be redeemed seamlessly through an integrated rewards ecosystem.”
“The program has exceeded adoption targets, reaching 931,000 participants in FY25, with more than 55% of members actively engaged and over 92,000 members completing a health and wellbeing challenge each month. In FY25 alone, members claimed $32.8 million in rewards, and Live Better participants show a significantly higher Net Promoter Score than non-participants. The partnership demonstrates how loyalty technology can drive sustained engagement, measurable behavior change, and meaningful value for both consumers and brands.”
“Another strong example is the uChoose Rewards® Program, which enables bp and Amoco customers to pay with loyalty points directly at the pump. Engage People, in partnership with Fiserv — a global leader in financial services technology — powers this capability.”
“The program supports nearly 2,000 small, local credit unions under a single umbrella, giving their cardholders flexible redemption options across high-value merchants such as Amazon, PayPal, and bp. By making points easy to use in everyday purchase moments like fueling, the program has significantly increased redemption frequency and member engagement.”
“As the network continues to expand to additional gas stations and retailers, participating credit unions are seeing higher card usage and increased spend, demonstrating how seamless, real-world redemption options can drive measurable value for both consumers and financial institutions.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Covello affirmed:
“Engage enables brands to reach new customer segments by seamlessly integrating loyalty spend into everyday commerce. What sets Engage’s technology apart from competitors is the innovation behind it. It lies in the ecosystem’s built-in scalability. As new loyalty programs and retailers join, all participants benefit from incremental customer growth and increased transaction volume, without the need for additional technical build — a unique advantage of Engage’s architecture. This “built-in incrementality” accelerates market impact and fosters a loyalty economy that grows organically.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Covello emphasized:
“Our focus is on expanding the loyalty network globally and deepening integration with payment systems, financial institutions, and major commerce platforms. We aim to make Pay with Points a default option at checkout across channels.”
“We’re also investing in intelligence and personalization to deliver real-time, individualized loyalty experiences that adapt dynamically to consumer behavior, helping brands drive higher engagement, redemption velocity, and long-term value.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Covello concluded:
“One area I’m closely watching is how loyalty continues to converge with payments, AI, and data-driven personalization. As we move into 2026, we’re seeing loyalty shift from segmentation-based models to truly individualized experiences, where rewards, offers, and redemption rates are dynamically tailored to each customer in real time.”
“We’re also seeing brands move beyond AI experimentation and toward enterprise-level deployment, embedding AI into core systems to manage campaign creation, real-time offers, and operational workflows with minimal human intervention. At the same time, loyalty ecosystems are becoming more interconnected, with brands maintaining their own programs while participating in cross-brand partnerships and shared currencies to expand reach and relevance.”
“Underlying all of this is flexibility. Members increasingly expect choice and immediacy in how and where they redeem points, and that flexibility is becoming a key driver of emotional loyalty, financial resilience, and long-term engagement. For brands, enabling flexible earn-and-burn mechanics translates directly into stronger redemption velocity, higher engagement, and greater share of wallet.”
