Comarch Loyalty and Clients Shine at the 2026 South African Loyalty Awards

What does it take for the same loyalty platform to genuinely work for a fuel brand, a gym chain, and an oil company, all at once, and have an independent panel of judges agree it works? That's the question the 2026 South African Loyalty Awards effectively answered this week in Cape Town.

Comarch Loyalty took home one win of its own. Our clients took home three more between them. And four of the 21 finalists for the industry's biggest individual honor came from Comarch Loyalty and its client roster.

• Best Loyalty Rules Engine Technology Vendor — Winner — Comarch Loyalty Marketing
• Best Programme: Fuel — Winner — Sasol Rewards
• Best Short-Term Loyalty Marketing Campaign — Highly Commended — Sasol Rewards, for "Danki Mzansi"
• Best Programme: Entertainment & Leisure — Commended — Virgin Active
• Best Short-Term Loyalty Marketing Campaign — Commended — BP, for Collectable Cars 2.0
• Industry Talent of the Year — Finalist — Wojciech Kempny, Comarch Loyalty
• Industry Talent of the Year — Finalist — Nokwanda Khumalo — bp South Africa
• Industry Talent of the Year — Finalist — Shantal Moodley — Old Mutual South Africa
• Industry Talent of the Year — Finalist — Kgomotso Zaake — Nedbank

Best Loyalty Rules Engine Technology Vendor

This is the one with our name on it. Comarch Loyalty Marketing is the platform running loyalty for Sasol, BP, Clarins, Old Mutual, Nedbank, and Virgin Active — six African brands from different industries, with very different rewards mechanics, on the same rules engine.

The judging panel put it this way:

"Comarch delivered a standout loyalty rules engine that combines flexibility, scalability, and real-time decision-making. The platform enables brands to create highly personalised customer experiences while managing complex programme mechanics with ease. Its proven capability and ability to support loyalty programmes at scale made Comarch a deserving winner in this category."

Best Programme: Fuel — Sasol Rewards

Sasol Rewards launched in 2022 as the first fuel-brand-owned rewards program in the country. Three years on, it has more than 2.4 million members, who now account for 65% of Sasol's total sales. Over the past 12 months alone, the program returned more than R251 million in value to members, with breakage held below 12% — a sign that the rewards on offer are actually worth claiming, not sitting unused.

From the judges:

"Sasol Rewards impressed the judges through its ability to deliver meaningful customer value alongside strong commercial results. The programme demonstrates exceptional engagement and relevance. Its evolution beyond fuel savings into a personalised lifestyle and convenience ecosystem makes Sasol Rewards a worthy winner of best programme of the year in the fuel category."

Best Short-Term Loyalty Marketing Campaign — Sasol (Highly Commended) and BP (Commended)

Sasol picked up a second mention for "Danki Mzansi," a campaign built around gamification and strong omnichannel execution, singled out by judges for reactivating dormant customers and turning them into repeat participants — proof, in the judges' words, "that creative execution, backed by evidence, can deliver immediate customer value while driving tangible business outcomes."

BP was commended in the same category for Collectable Cars 2.0, a simple, repeat-visit-driving reward mechanic that judges credited with combining "strong commercial results with engaging customer experiences" through seamless omnichannel execution.

Best Programme: Entertainment & Leisure — Virgin Active (Commended)

Virgin Active Rewards was commended for rewarding members for the behaviors that actually make a fitness program work: showing up, engaging, hitting wellness goals, rather than just points for spend. Judges called out the program's "highly personalized, digital-first approach" and its ability to combine engagement, behavioral change, and customer experience in one system, "setting a strong benchmark for loyalty excellence within the entertainment and leisure industry."

Industry Talent of the Year — Wojciech Kempny, finalist

Twenty-one names made the shortlist for this year's Industry Talent of the Year, recognizing individuals for their work in the loyalty industry. Our own Wojciech Kempny was one of them, alongside finalists including Nokwanda Khumalo (bp South Africa), Shantal Moodley (Old Mutual South Africa), and Kgomotso Zaake (Nedbank). Good company to be judged next to!

About the South African Loyalty Awards

2026 marks the eighth year of the South African Loyalty Awards, which recognize excellence and innovation across South Africa's loyalty industry — from CRM and customer behavior to data insight and program design. This year's awards covered 24 categories, each judged by a panel of 18 loyalty and CRM professionals from across the industry.

As Comarch Loyalty CEO, Max Byloff, said:

“People are what make our platform work for the customers. Watching this team pull off wins like these makes me proud in a way no product roadmap ever will, and if this is where we are now, there's no ceiling I'd bet on.”

Congratulations to Sasol, Virgin Active, BP, and Wojciech, and to everyone on our side who helped get them there.