Love's Fuels Loyalty War with New All-Driver Rewards Program

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – February 26, 2026 – Love's Travel Stops is making an aggressive move to dominate the nation's highways, today announcing a complete overhaul of its loyalty program. The new, unified Love's Rewards system, set to launch March 1, extends points earning and redemption to all drivers—both professional and casual—across its entire network of 670 locations. The initiative, centralized through a revamped mobile app, represents a significant strategic investment aimed at setting a new industry standard and intensifying the competitive battle for driver loyalty.

This major upgrade is a key component of Love's broader $700 million investment plan for 2026, signaling a comprehensive strategy to enhance customer experience from the pump to the checkout counter. The reimagined program dissolves previous distinctions, creating a single, seamless ecosystem where every dollar spent and gallon pumped translates into redeemable value.

"Love's Rewards is a reimagining of how loyalty is rewarded on the road," said Patrick McLean, chief marketing officer at Love's. "Drivers today expect more than a place to stop – they expect value and consistency wherever the road takes them. Love's Rewards delivers more meaningful value at every stop... Our goal is to be the first stop drivers think of and the one they choose every time."

Reshaping the Competitive Landscape

Love's strategic overhaul directly enters the loyalty arms race that defines the travel stop industry. By creating a unified program, the company is challenging the traditionally segmented approaches of its main competitors, Pilot Flying J and TravelCenters of America (TA). While rivals have robust programs, they have historically focused primarily on professional truck drivers.

Pilot Flying J’s myRewards Plus™ program, for instance, uses a tiered system allowing professional drivers to earn up to four points per commercial diesel gallon. Similarly, TA's UltraONE® program features a tiered "Gear" system that rewards high-volume professional drivers. Love's new program directly competes by enhancing its offering for pros while simultaneously building a comprehensive value proposition for the massive market of casual motorists and RVers—a segment often treated as secondary in competitors' loyalty frameworks.

By extending points on fuel and in-store purchases to its four-wheel customers, Love's is betting that a more inclusive system will capture a larger, more diverse share of roadside retail spending. This move starkly contrasts with other major players like Buc-ee's, which has famously eschewed a traditional points-based loyalty program, relying instead on its unique brand culture, vast store size, and product selection to draw and retain customers.

Industry data suggests this is a sound strategy. Loyalty programs are highly influential in the convenience sector, with studies showing that members spend significantly more and visit more frequently. By building a program that appeals to everyone from a family on vacation to a long-haul trucker, Love's aims to make every one of its locations the default stop for any driver, fundamentally altering the calculus of roadside competition.

Driving More Value into Drivers' Hands

The tangible benefits of the enhanced Love's Rewards program are tailored to the distinct needs of its two primary customer bases. For the first time, casual drivers will earn points on nearly every transaction, a significant shift from the previous discount-only model.

New perks for casual drivers include:
* 1 point per gallon of gasoline and auto diesel.
* 2 points per dollar spent on in-store merchandise.
* An additional 2 bonus points per dollar on Love's-branded products, including its freshly made meals and snacks.

These new earning opportunities are layered on top of existing benefits, such as discounts of $0.10 per gallon on gas and the popular drink club, where every fifth fountain drink or coffee is free. This creates a multi-faceted value offering designed to build loyalty with daily commuters and vacationers.

Professional drivers, the long-standing core of the travel stop business, also see a significant boost in their earning potential. The base earning rate for in-store spending has been doubled to 2 points per dollar, with the same bonus point structure for Love's-branded items. This is in addition to maintaining popular perks like shower credits and exclusive member offers. In a notable change, the complimentary drink refill program will transition to a monthly credit-based model starting October 1, 2026. The company frames this as a move toward greater flexibility, allowing drivers to use their earned points on a wider variety of items beyond fountain drinks, depending on their preference.

To accelerate adoption, Love's is launching a promotional offer: all members will receive 100 bonus points—redeemable like cash—on their first in-store scan with the Love's App between March 1 and September 30, 2026.

A Digital-First Strategy for the Modern Road

Underpinning the entire initiative is a decisive pivot to a digital-first, mobile-centric experience. The updated Love's App is no longer just a companion tool; it is the central hub for the entire loyalty ecosystem. This aligns with modern retail best practices, which emphasize a seamless, omnichannel experience where a customer's loyalty account is always in their pocket.

This app-centric approach serves multiple strategic purposes. For the customer, it provides a single, convenient touchpoint to track points, activate offers, and redeem rewards. For Love's, it unlocks a wealth of data that can be used to understand customer behavior and personalize the shopping experience. By analyzing purchase patterns, the company can deliver targeted offers that are more relevant and valuable to individual drivers, whether it's a discount on a professional driver's favorite meal or a BOGO offer for a family's road trip snacks.

This digital transformation positions Love's to compete not just on fuel price and location, but on the entire customer journey. In an industry where customer retention is paramount, leveraging technology to create a more connected and rewarding experience is critical. The ability to engage with millions of drivers directly through their smartphones provides a powerful platform for future innovations, from mobile payment and order-ahead food service to integrated trip planning.

As the program officially rolls out, the industry will be watching closely to see how drivers respond and how competitors react. The success of this ambitious overhaul will ultimately be measured not just in app downloads or points redeemed, but in its ability to capture a greater share of the hearts, minds, and wallets of every traveler on the American road.