Co-brand

Drive engagement and profitability

OVERVIEW

Co-brand cards are powerful, highly profitable tools which create great connection to your cardholders. CRG creates successful consumer-facing cards by bringing together the right card products, strategies, and partners to meet customers’ financial needs, and optimize value for the financial institution.

CHALLENGES WE ADDRESS

Brands have expertise in their product and customers… but successful cards need a mix of expertise across card strategy, marketing & technical skills.

Optimizing card features is key to differentiation… but performance requires leveraging a complex ecosystem of benefits & services from 3rd parties.

Cards are a highly profitable product… but competition is intense, and factors driving card usage differ from those behind retail & brand engagement.

OUR CAPABILITIES

01 Performance Assessment
We help clients define and measure what matters most. By benchmarking the right metrics—across engagement, spend, and profitability—we provide a clear-eyed view of how your Co-Brand card program is performing and where to focus next.
02 Program Optimization
We unlock more value from what you already have. From refining the card proposition to leveraging network, issuer, and processor relationships, we help improve program performance without starting from scratch.
03 Renegotiation & Redesign
When market dynamics shift, your value proposition should too. We support the redesign of card programs and lead negotiations with networks and issuers to ensure your offering remains competitive, compelling, and customer-relevant.
04 Roadmap Development
We work with clients to build what’s next—whether it’s launching a new product line (like an SMB card) or expanding into new segments. Our roadmaps are grounded in data, backed by strong business cases, and built to drive acquisition and growth.

OUR EXPERIENCE

Deep U.S. expertise in consumer-facing payment offerings, including co-brand card management, with real delivery experience at leading banks, acquirers, and fintechs.

Rigorous approaches to payment optimization that ensure product market fit, speed, and scalability, with proven results in driving economic value.

A network of subject matter experts (including at networks) to bring deep & specific expertise as required by your challenge.

Project Spotlight

Our experts have experience developing some of the largest co-brand card products.

We recently redesigned the customer value proposition for a US airline co-brand card targeting prioritized moments in their journey: novel travel-related features such as free checked-in bags, no foreign transaction fees and earlier boarding.

We supported the initiative with new owned marketing channels.

Result: total card acquisitions and usage increased by over 50% in 24 months.

CO-BRAND PRACTICE LEADERS

Dani Holden Johnson

Dani is an award-winning payment product innovator. Her expertise includes deep research and insights, data analytics, marketing, segmentation and product strategy , supporting clients including American Express, TD Bank, Chase, IHG, Walmart, Mastercard and PNC.

Subhash Khatri

Subhash is a former consumer payments leader at Amex, Citi, Chase, GreenDot and Fifth Third Bank. He has 25+ years’ experience leading some of the largest brands, with extensive experience in product P&L management, credit risk, and marketing analytics.