Part of the lure of a good credit card rewards program is the possibility of significant bonuses for the money you spend. So, why do so many points go unredeemed?

Rewarding, simple and secure. All apt descriptors of the new BBVA Compass Rewards Card, the newest credit card offering from the U.S. subsidiary of the global financial services group BBVA. Available today, the new credit card offers rewards to customers for every purchase they make, with no cap on earnings, and boasts an easy to understand rewards structure that earns 1.5 percent in rewards for every $1 spent across all categories, and the ability to garner 2 percent in rewards with a qualifying bank relationship.

BBVA Compass was an official supporter of the Alabama Crimson Tide’s championship parade this past Saturday, Jan. 20, helping the school celebrate its College Football Playoff National Championship.

Owning a credit card in 2018 may become more lucrative, says BBVA Compass Head of Payments Jon Groch.

According to Groch, rewards – or more precisely, the proliferation of them – is one of the biggest trends for credit cards in 2018. Other trends, he says, underscore the same emphasis on the consumer, as well as strategies to differentiate and distinguish individual cards and credit card issuers from one another.

In what is becoming a frequent tradition, BBVA Compass announced today it will offer an updated Bama-branded Visa® debit card next month, giving University of Alabama’s football fans another way to display their Crimson Tide colors after the team’s 17th national championship win on Monday.

Money 20/20 Las Vegas is without doubt one of the showcase events for technology and financial services in the world. Every years thousands of people involved in the industry, from big banks like BBVA to technology firms like Google and most importantly innovators and start-ups, gather to discuss the future of the industry.

Contactless technology enables users to make card payments through near-field communication (NFC). Adoption of this technology has grown exponentially in recent years, thanks to the benefits it offers both consumers and stores.

BBVA launches Urban Discovery, an interactive tool open to everyone that analyzes the cities of Madrid, Barcelona and Mexico City through the prism of their commercial activity. The analysis led to the creation of new maps that redraw urban borders and identify the most touristic and residential areas or those where young people go shopping.

Madrid tourists spend more near monuments and museums than those in Barcelona. People living in Vila de Gràcia in Barcelona have the same lifestyle as those in the Madrid neighborhood of Malasaña. Sant Antoni and Poble Sec are places that are popular to go out to dinner and then for a drink, and in Madrid, the Lavapies neighborhood is undergoing a transformation toward more cultural activity.

Say you go into a hair salon and want to pay your stylist a tip, but you don’t have any cash on hand. Instead, you use your credit card and pencil in a tip amount. Given the fees merchants have to pay for the ability to accept debit or credit card payments, perhaps you’ve asked yourself how much of the tip will actually make it to the stylist. Will the merchant take a cut of it in order to help pay those fees?

Cell phones are now competing with cards and cash as a payment method. The practice of paying by cell phone has become so widespread that in a large Spanish city, it’s now possible to get around, eat and shop without bringing your wallet.

Each time I pull out my debit card to make a purchase, I’m hit with a minor – but not inconsequential – question. A cashier or the point of sale machine at the counter where I’ve swiped or inserted my card asks that all-too-familiar inquiry: Debit or credit?

Typically, my default choice is debit, but not for any good or informed reason. I’m paying with a debit card, so the obvious choice is debit, right? But then, why am I given an option in the first place? Does it really matter which button I hit or what option I choose? To help answer these questions, I talked to BBVA Compass Director of Merchant Acquiring Adam Spencer.

Entrepreneurs seeking to launch or expand their enterprise may experience big success for their small business when it’s built with a set of prime financial tools. According to BBVA Compass Director of Small Business Product Solutions Lance Gibson, while needs differ from business to business, there are some financial tools that are essential when it comes to starting or growing a small business.

Credit cards and credit card offers are as ubiquitous as coffee shops in Seattle. With so many to choose from, how do you decide what’s right for you and your unique financial situation?

When it comes to BBVA Compass credit card options, one size might not fit all – and that’s a good thing for consumers looking to find just the right card for them.

For BBVA Compass, helping clients create opportunities for their brighter futures is more than a slogan; it’s a mission the bank follows in order to help its clients realize their dreams and ambitions.

The scam involves both customers and ATMs. Two or more people stand behind the victim, while he or she withdraws cash from the ATM. First, they try to see and memorize the PIN number or password for the victim’s card.

On 2014, a series of standards were passed that aimed to significantly boost financial inclusion levels. The initial and pivotal element was the Financial Inclusion Act, which builds on three pillars:

Due to a series of particularities, the Chinese market has risen as the role model in mobile payments adoption. Western economies have a lot to learn about a market that is valued at over $2.3 trillion.

Anthony Thomson, founder of Atom Bank, is absolutely clear about his career goal: He wants to redefine customers’ everyday relationship with money, he wants to improve it. He is aware that the financial sector is in the midst of a revolution marked by an unstoppable wave of disruption. “The first change is that money is data and data are the main product of our business” he said during his address in South Summit, where he unveiled three essential challenges that all companies must face to survive in this paradigm shift.

Technology is becoming more accessible and Mexicans are increasingly using mobile devices. The financial sector is taking advantage of this paradigm shift to embark on the digital transformation.

Now there are more ways for BBVA Compass customers to make purchases, thanks to the integration of Android Pay and Samsung Pay for BBVA Compass cardholders.

BBVA Wallet, the bank’s mobile payment app, has been downloaded more than 1 million times, less than two years after its launch. Already available in four countries, the app is also being launched this week in Turkey by Garanti Bank – in which BBVA has a nearly 40% stake – under the BonusFlas brand.

According to the Global Findex (2014) report, only 15% of adults worldwide use electronic money, and a lot of them live in developing countries.

More than one billion women –40% of women worldwide– have no access to the financial system. According to the Global Findex 2014 report, the gender gap is obvious: 58% are bank account holders compared with 65% of men.

Between 2011 and 2014, 700 million people opened a bank account. In the same period, the number of people outside the banking system fell by 20%, or 2 billion adults. In 2014, 62% of adults held an account, well above the 54% registered in 2011.

Credit card providers use machine learning techniques to attract new customers, drive up turnover, offer personalized recommendations to users and identify fraudulent operations.

Although a few years ago security was one of users’ main concerns when making virtual payments, today consumers are more confident about the ubiquity of their cellphones and the payments they make, although the fears that deter them from unlimited use of their wallets  include identity theft or additional charges on their purchases.

Like all beginnings of decades, the symbolic date of 2020 raises all sorts of expectations and questions in these previous years about transformations to various activities, and financial services are no exception. From the technological innovations foretold at the Fintech Conference to the challenges set by the PwC study Retail Banking 2020: Evolution or Revolution?, all experts seem to agree on one thing: there will be profound changes in the sector over the next six years.

BBVA has agreed to acquire Simple,  a US-based company that has created a new standard in digital banking. The acquisition is part of BBVA’s strategy to lead the technology-driven change that is transforming the financial services industry. The transaction values Simple at $117 million