I found it:
https://www.smiles.fr/. This is the loyalty program run by a company called Cofinoga. The company issues co-branded cards with a number of retail chains, such as Galeries Lafayette, Casino/Geant, Monoprix, etc. You can collect Smiles at these stores and at other partner stores, restaurants, and also when buying tickets at SNCF. THe "awards" - called "gifts" - are gift vouchers, products from a catalogue, rebates, or even Air France tickets. For instance, an AF ticket costs 3980 Smiles + 773 EUR. The SMiles site having been structured by people that have gone to the same school of confused artists as the ones that have structured the SNCF or AF sites it is impossible to find out how many EUR it takes to accumulate 3980 Smiles. However, there is a "promo" going on where in one of the partner stores you get an immediate EUR 10 cashback in exchange for 1000 Smiles. Assuming the same exchange rate, that would value the NYC ticket at approx. 813 EUR. So basically it's not a "free ticket plus some taxes" scheme but a "discounted tickets" scheme. But still no clue about the earn/burn rate
Originally Posted by
orbitmic
But am I correct that with those cards, the credit function is only valid at the designated store partners? (so you can use the carte galleries Lafayette to buy stuff there -- indeed they try to push you to use it when you go there through special promotions etc -- or monoprix, but not if you want to pay for your Zara tshirt right?
The way this works is that there is a payment and a credit function, which is not the same thing. These cards can be used for
payment only at the partner stores. You are then being sent a bill at the end of the month, which you can settle in full. If you don't settle in full, then the
credit function kicks in, by which you basically get a credit at some very high APR.
On top of that, once you are a cardholder, you'll be inondated with marketing offering you a consumer credit which is paid out on your account. You can then use that for buying your T-Shirt. But that credit offer does not come from the store itself, it comes from Cofinoga, the institution behind the cards and the loyalty scheme.