--Eric https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/10/18/starbucks-loyalty-program-surveillance-pricing/
The hidden way using a rewards card can cost you more Starbucks tracked my every purchase -- then gave me fewer deals. It’s called surveillance pricing. Scanning a loyalty card might be costing you money. Companies say they’re rewarding your devotion with points, discounts and perks. But behind the scenes, many are using these programs to monitor your behavior and build a profile — then charge you what they think you’ll pay... Levine and Nguyen say loyalty programs are turning into engines for “surveillance pricing” — when companies use AI and personal data to set individualized prices, a.k.a. personalized markups... “Personalized discounts can be a form of surveillance pricing because it means different prices for different customers based on their personal data,” Nguyen says... What happens in travel is spreading everywhere else. “These industries have really become online casinos where you are constantly playing a game,” says Nguyen. Companies force you to download an app just to get free shipping on diapers you need same-day. “The price of buying even a gallon of milk now requires downloading an app, agreeing to weird subscriptions, being trapped into an infrastructure that you did not know existed.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revised: 20250507 You are receiving The Mifnet because you requested to join this list. The Mifnet is largely a labor of love, however the infrastructure isn't exactly cost-free. If you'd care to make a small contribution to the effort, please know that it would be greatly appreciated: https://wardell.us/url/mifbit All posts sent to the list should abide by these policies: 1) List members acknowledge that participation in Mifnet is a privilege--not a right. 2) Posts are always off the record, absent specific permission from the author. 3) The tone of discussions is collegial. 4) Posts are expected to be in reasonably good taste. 5) We discuss ideas and not personalities, and we don't speak ill of other Mifnet members. * The Mifnet WEB SITE is: https://www.mifnet.com/ * To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list at any time please visit: https://lists.mifnet.com/ OR: SEND THIS MESSAGE via email: [email protected]?subject=leave * Send Mifnet mailing list POSTS/SUBMISSIONS to: [email protected] * You may reach the person managing The Mifnet at: [email protected] * Please consider the DIGEST version of The Mifnet, which consolidates all list traffic into 1-3 messages daily. See instructions at: https://lists.mifnet.com/ * Manage your personal Mifnet SUBSCRIPTION at: https://lists.mifnet.com/ * For a list of all available Mifnet commands, SEND THIS MESSAGE via email: [email protected]?subject=help * View The Mifnet LIST POLICIES and PRIVACY POLICY at: https://mifnet.com/index.php/policies * View instructions for Mifnet DELIVERY PROBLEMS at: https://mifnet.com/index.php/delivery-problems * View The Mifnet LIST ARCHIVE at: https://lists.mifnet.com/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/
