It’s 11pm. A child has a fever, and the severity is unclear. Primary care isn’t available for days.
Moments like this expose a familiar gap in the Canadian healthcare system. The space between when care is needed and when it’s accessible.
For leaders in the loyalty space, this kind of moment may feel outside the traditional scope of rewards programs. But it points to a broader question. Where else can loyalty deliver value beyond transactions?
Across Canada, more than $1 billion in rewards value flows through loyalty ecosystems each year. Points, incentives, and experiences are embedded in everyday interactions, shaping behavior and influencing decisions at scale. Many programs have already evolved beyond simple discounts, expanding into categories like travel, financial services, and wellness.
That evolution reflects a core strength of loyalty. It is built into daily life. Over time, these programs create habits, drive engagement, and deepen relationships between brands and their customers.
But as programs continue to expand into new categories, there is an opportunity to think more broadly about how this infrastructure can be applied. In areas like health and wellbeing, where engagement is often fragmented and access can be inconsistent, loyalty mechanics may offer a complementary way to guide behavior, support decision-making, and add value at moments that matter to consumers.
Not as a replacement for the healthcare system, but as an extension of how leading programs are already redefining what loyalty can do.
Loyalty programs do more than reward behaviour. They direct value. They determine what gets incentivized, what gets prioritized, and ultimately, what matters in the relationship between brands and the people they serve.
This creates a clear opportunity. At a time when Canadians are increasingly focused on issues like cost of living and access to healthcare, loyalty programs are uniquely positioned to provide meaningful support. Healthcare, in particular, has become one of the most important concerns for Canadians. It is not just a system issue. It is something people experience in their daily lives, often in moments of uncertainty.
Because loyalty programs already operate at scale, they have the ability to play a role in addressing these concerns. There are two ways this could happen.
The first is through access. Across Canada, provincial health systems provide essential care, but many Canadians still experience gaps. Wait times can be long, and getting timely advice or treatment is not always easy. Loyalty programs already invest heavily in rewards. Redirecting even a small portion of that value could help expand access to care beyond what is publicly covered, giving people faster and more convenient support when they need it most.
The second is through behaviour. Health outcomes are shaped not only by clinical care, but by everyday decisions. When people seek help, how quickly they act, and how supported they feel all influence outcomes. Loyalty programs are designed to shape exactly these kinds of behaviours. They encourage small, repeated actions that become habits over time. Applied differently, brands could support behaviours that lead to better health outcomes.
Taken together, these two roles point to something bigger. Loyalty programs have the potential to create meaningful social impact, not as a separate initiative, but as an extension of what they already do well.
By helping fund access to care and encouraging healthier behaviours, loyalty programs can support Canadians in tangible ways. And when they do that, the value they create goes beyond transactions. It strengthens trust, deepens relevance, and builds a different kind of relationship between brands and the people they serve.
This is not a theoretical idea. It is already taking shape.
A Decision at CAA
CAA Club Group has always operated with a simple belief to take care of Members first, and the business will follow. For more than a century, that philosophy has guided how the organization supports Canadians. What began with roadside assistance has grown into a broader set of services designed to help Members stay safe, mobile, and protected in their everyday lives.
Our work with CAA started with a virtual healthcare program for employees. The goal was to provide quick and convenient access to care through Maple’s virtual care platform. The program was effective and well received.
Then the pandemic changed the context. Across Canada, access to healthcare became more difficult than ever before. Clinics were busy, wait times increased, and many people struggled to get the care they needed. CAA’s leadership saw an opportunity to support Members in a new way.
If better access to care was valuable for Associates, it was also valuable for Members. CAA made the decision to fund virtual healthcare access as part of its membership offering. Through a partnership with Maple, virtual care was integrated directly into CAA membership tiers, giving Members on-demand access to licensed healthcare providers.
The decision was rooted in CAA’s mission. It was about doing the right thing for Members at a time when they needed support.
What Happened Next
Members began using the service to address everyday health concerns. They could speak with a doctor quickly, without needing to wait for an appointment. Families could get support when it mattered most.
Healthcare quickly became one of the most valued parts of the membership experience. Members said so directly: "Maple provided much needed medical support that we wouldn't have otherwise been able to access in a timely manner. It saved him from potentially serious complications." The numbers backed it up: 91% of Members agreed Maple added value to their membership, and registered users renewed at a rate 6% higher than the overall member base. The impact extended beyond access to care. Just as roadside assistance provides peace of mind on the road, access to healthcare provides it in everyday life, ensuring Members can stay safe, supported, and ready to continue their day, no matter where they are.
It also changed how Members experienced the value of their membership. By building on the existing foundation of rewards and extending them into areas that matter in people’s lives, CAA found a new way to bring its brand promise to life.
A New Direction for Loyalty
For decades, loyalty programs have focused on rewarding transactions. That model has been highly effective and will continue to play an important role. But there is an opportunity to build on that foundation.
Loyalty programs already influence behaviour at scale and direct more than a billion dollars in value to their members. Extending that influence toward areas that matter deeply to people can create a new kind of relevance for brands. Healthcare is one example, but the idea is broader than any one category.
Imagine a healthcare system where everyday spending helps more people access care quickly. Imagine loyalty programs that reward not only what people buy, but how they live. Imagine brands playing a more active role in supporting the well-being of the people they serve, in ways that are practical, scalable, and grounded in everyday behaviour.
This is not a distant future. The building blocks already exist. The next step is to see loyalty programs not only as tools for driving transactions, but as platforms that can improve how Canadians live.