As partnerships go, today's tie-up between American Express and TripAdvisor is a curious one.
Effectively the partnership gives card members recognition for posting a review, flags up that the reviews are from an Amex Traveler and gives card holders access to trend information and special deals.
According to the card company, the deal has a number of benefits for members as long as they're happy to link their Amex cards with their TripAdvisor profiles.
Those that do will have an 'Amex Traveler' badge applied to their profile and 'Amex Card Member Review' and card icon displayed next to user reviews they post after making a booking.
Card members will also be able to access the latest buying trend information via the Amex Spend Graph on what hotels and restaurants other cardholders are booking and get special offers.
Stacy Gratz, Amex vice president of digital partnerships says the deal adds 'context and relevancy' for Amex travellers, as well as other TripAdvisor users, when planning a trip.
One benefit for TripAdvisor will be in increased verified reviews. About 18 months ago, the reviews giant announced a reviews collection service for partners using a follow-up email to prompt reviews.
To our question on why a card member would want that fact published to the world, Gratz says they will be happy to display the badge because they're "proud to be members".
And on any privacy issues?
She adds that no information in terms of card member details will be exchanged with TripAdvisor and of course, members don't have to link to their TripAdvisor profiles.
"We're always looking at ways to provide unique experiences in the places our members already are and this is a nice way to create a better experience on that site."
To get the ball rolling, Amex is offering members who leave their first review as an 'Amex Traveler' a £5/$5 credit on their statement.
This is not the first time Amex has forged this sort of digital partnership with tie-ups with FourSquare, Facebook, Twitter and Xbox for couponless offers.
The TripAdvisor partnership is being launched initially in the US, UK and Australia and is driven by the same American Express Card Sync system as the above deals.
NB: Credit card image via Shutterstock