> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.paylead.fr/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What is Paylead?

> Embedded Loyalty platform for financial institutions.

Paylead is an **Embedded Loyalty platform** for financial institutions. It helps banks and fintechs strengthen customer loyalty and grow payment-related revenues by embedding loyalty value directly inside the banking experience.

Embedded Loyalty is not a single product. It's a platform composed of two distinct domains:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Perks" icon="wallet">
    Help customers *save money*: [Cashback](/glossary#cashback), vouchers, and complementary savings products.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Loyalty" icon="medal">
    Help customers *earn and use brand loyalty* from their bank. Embedding loyalty accounts into the banking experience.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

The two domains can be launched independently, but are designed to reinforce each other under one cohesive [Program](/glossary#program) narrative. Both build on the **same platform foundation** (the bank creates the [Consumer](/glossary#consumer) and manages their transactions once, at the platform level), and the Consumer then **opts in to each domain separately**. Consent and segmentation belong to Perks; Loyalty only requires opting in to the service.

## Why Embedded Loyalty matters for a bank

In retail banking, loyalty is won through habits: the app customers open every week, the card they use by default, the bank they choose as their primary account.

Embedded Loyalty targets these habits by making everyday spending more rewarding:

* **More app engagement**: customers return to see benefits, track earnings, and discover new value.
* **More card preference**: customers choose the bank card more often because it is connected to tangible value.
* **Higher primary bank adoption**: your bank becomes the default for daily purchases.
* **Better revenue capture**: when share-of-wallet increases, so do economics linked to payments and cross-sell opportunities.

## Two domains, two user journeys

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Perks - savings">
    **Perks** is about helping [Consumers](/glossary#consumer) save money on purchases. The journey varies depending on the product: [Cashback](/glossary#cashback), [Voucher](/glossary#voucher), or other savings mechanics.

    #### Automatic cashback

    [Cashback](/glossary#cashback) earning is designed to be frictionless: no code, no voucher, no card switch. When customers pay with their bank card, Cashback is **automatic** and follows [Program](/glossary#program) rules: validity period, minimum spend, exclusions.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Discover">
        Browse eligible [Offers](/glossary#offer) in the bank app.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Pay">
        Pay as usual with the bank card.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Earn">
        [Cashback](/glossary#cashback) credited automatically: no code, no manual step.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Return">
        Come back to track earnings and repeat.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    #### Easy Voucher

    [Vouchers](/glossary#voucher) leverage engagement and deliver high perceived value:

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Discover">
        Browse [Offers](/glossary#offer) in the bank app.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Purchase">
        Define the voucher value and purchase with a discount.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Receive">
        The [Voucher](/glossary#voucher) is emitted automatically and accessible in the bank app.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Use">
        Use the voucher in store or online.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    The discount can be credited to the [Consumer](/glossary#consumer)'s Reward pool inside the bank app.

    #### Additional savings mechanics

    To widen coverage and match different customer preferences, Perks can also include:

    * **Travel / hotel reservations**
    * Other add-on benefits depending on the Program design

    #### What Perks drives for the bank

    * Frequent reasons to open the app
    * Increased card usage for everyday purchases
    * A value proposition customers understand immediately
    * Regular promotional activations to keep customers engaged
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Loyalty - loyalty wallet">
    **Loyalty** is about centralizing and activating retailer loyalty inside the banking experience. It follows a different journey:

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Join & link">
        Opt in to the Loyalty service, then create or link a **retailer loyalty account** from within the bank app.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Pay">
        Use the bank card as the default payment instrument.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Earn">
        Earn loyalty benefits seamlessly.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Engage">
        Manage loyalty from the bank app, not from separate merchant apps.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    A simple mental model: a **loyalty wallet embedded into the bank app**, designed to reduce fragmentation and make the bank experience the daily hub.

    #### What Loyalty drives for the bank

    * Differentiation: the banking experience tied to real-life brands
    * Stronger top-of-wallet behavior
    * Higher engagement in a loyalty hub customers can use daily
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Why Perks and Loyalty are separate

Perks and Loyalty are two distinct products, both built on merchant-funded content to help financial institutions offer loyalty to their customers.

* **Perks** is primarily a *savings engine*: immediate, monetary, easy to grasp
* **Loyalty** is primarily a *relationship engine*: accounts, brands, ongoing engagement

Keeping them as distinct domains helps financial institutions:

* design clearer UX and messaging,
* measure impact more accurately (different funnels, different KPIs),
* roll out progressively without forcing a "big bang" [Program](/glossary#program).

## How Paylead fits into your ecosystem

A typical setup:

1. **Your banking channels** surface Perks and/or Loyalty experiences to [Consumers](/glossary#consumer).
2. **Paylead orchestrates** [Program](/glossary#program) logic, integrations, eligibility, and Reward or loyalty flows, via APIs and/or white-label components depending on the chosen deployment.
3. **Merchant ecosystem** provides Consumer value (merchant-funded benefits depending on the model), enabling measurable, performance-driven programs.
4. **You iterate** using performance monitoring and optimization loops.

## Program performance

Paylead also provides the operating model and tooling to help financial institutions run a Program that performs over time:

* [Program](/glossary#program) setup and rollout support
* Performance monitoring and optimization loops
* [Offer](/glossary#offer) strategy support: assortment, freshness, personalization levers depending on model
* Continuous improvement of activation and repeat usage

## What's next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="User journey" icon="route" href="/program/user-journey/overview">
    Walk through the end-to-end [Consumer](/glossary#consumer) lifecycle and the [Reward](/glossary#reward) payout flow.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Get started" icon="rocket" href="/program/user-journey/quickstart">
    Make your first API call and explore the three API roles.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Security" icon="shield-half" href="/program/user-journey/security">
    Understand the Paylead API security baseline.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>