When loyalty delivers real value, customers notice. When it continues to evolve with their needs, the industry notices too.
For eBucks, that recognition arrived in a big way at the 2026 South African Loyalty Awards, where FNB’s rewards programme walked away with nine accolades, including two of the event’s major programme categories.
Among its wins was Best Overall Long-Term Loyalty Programme, alongside Best Financial Services Programme.
The recognition highlights eBucks’ continued focus on creating value for South Africans through partnerships, data-driven innovation and customer-focused experiences.
But the nine accolades tell a bigger story.
Nine awards. One powerful statement.
eBucks was recognised across a broad range of categories at this year’s awards.
The programme received:
- Best Overall Long-Term Loyalty Programme
- Best Financial Services Programme
- Best B2B Programme
- Best Partnership Programme
- Best Short-Term Loyalty Marketing Campaign
- Best Strategic Use of Data Analytics/CRM Applications
- Most Innovative Use of Technology for Loyalty
- Industry Personality of the Year: Pieter Woodhatch
- Industry Talent of the Year: Bathandwa Mbovane and Tilene Narainan
The awards span strategy, technology, partnerships, marketing and leadership.
That breadth reflects the different elements that underpin the eBucks ecosystem.
More than rewards
For FNB, loyalty is about more than simply giving customers rewards.
Lytania Johnson, CEO of FNB, says eBucks has evolved alongside the changing needs of South Africans for more than two decades.
The programme aims to help customers stretch their money further through everyday banking while encouraging positive financial behaviours.
“We are proud that our commitment to putting value back into our customers’ pockets continues to draw recognition for industry leadership,” says Johnson.
She highlights everyday areas such as groceries, fuel and travel as examples of where customers can access value through the programme.
Since launching in 2000, eBucks has paid out more than R26 billion in rewards to customers.
That includes R2.4 billion in the past financial year alone.
The numbers behind the rewards
The latest performance figures provide another glimpse into the scale of the programme.
Over the past year, eBucks invested R450 million in grocery rewards.
Those rewards helped customers fill more than 1.3 million grocery trollies.
Its fuel partnership also generated significant activity, with customers filling more than 300,000 tanks of fuel.
Travel has been another important part of the programme.
eBucks Travel sales reached approximately R1.5 billion, representing a 16% year-on-year increase.
Woodhatch says these figures demonstrate the growing relevance of loyalty programmes that support customers’ lifestyles while helping them maximise their spending power and access lifestyle and travel benefits.
Leadership recognised too
The awards were not only about the programme.
Pieter Woodhatch, CEO of eBucks Rewards at FNB, was named Industry Personality of the Year.
The recognition acknowledges his leadership and impact on the loyalty industry, including his role in evolving eBucks around relevance, innovation, simplicity and value.
Woodhatch also shared the spotlight with two members of the eBucks leadership team.
Bathandwa Mbovane, Head of FNB eBucks Rewards, and Tilene Narainan, Head of Growth and Partnerships at FNB eBucks Rewards, were jointly named Industry Talents of the Year for 2026.
Their recognition highlights their contribution to loyalty experiences described by FNB as industry-leading.
Putting customers at the centre
For Woodhatch, the nine awards represent more than trophies.
He credits the teams behind eBucks, along with the programme’s millions of customers, for its continued development.
“We are honoured to receive recognition across several categories and proud of the continued impact eBucks is making in the lives of our members,” says Woodhatch.
He adds that the personal recognition reflects the work of the wider eBucks team and the trust placed in the programme by its customers.
That customer focus is also reflected in the tools available through the FNB Banking App.
Members can use Track My Rewards and Earn More eBucks to monitor their current banking behaviour and see how they can progress through reward levels and earn more eBucks.
The programme also offers access to everyday rewards and benefits, travel options including flights and accommodation, and a multi-partner ecommerce store.
Loyalty in a changing economy
The timing of the recognition is significant.
For consumers navigating tough economic conditions, loyalty programmes can play a role in helping them extract more value from spending they are already doing.
That is the space eBucks continues to occupy.
Its evolution from a programme launched in 2000 to an ecosystem spanning everyday rewards, partnerships, technology, travel and data reflects how the loyalty landscape itself has changed.
The nine awards at the 2026 South African Loyalty Awards recognise that evolution across multiple areas.
For eBucks, however, the focus remains on what happens beyond the awards stage.
It is about continuing to make rewards relevant, accessible and valuable to the customers who use them.
Woodhatch closes with a message of appreciation to eBucks members and partners, whose participation and support remain central to the programme.
And with more than R26 billion in rewards paid since 2000, the numbers show just how significant that relationship has become.
