McDonald’s, Visa and Brightkite have formed a love triangle to reward the fast food giant’s most faithful patrons with a $5 Visa Gift Card.

Following on from programs with the likes of  Starbucks, The CW, Sharpie and Dentyne, this is one of the biggest brand plays for Brightkite to-date. To highlight the campaign, Brightkite is running a location- and activity-targeted ad campaign that launches an on-screen spinner that highlights the McDonald’s dollar menu.

“Visa and McDonald’s have got together to remind us that using your Visa card is the easier way to pay for your McDonald’s,” said Rob Lawson, founder and chief marketing officer of Brightkite, New York. “Rewarding the consumer each time they visit McDonald’s with higher badge levels encourages loyalty.”

Whenever consumers check-in at a McDonald’s with Brightkite, they receive the Easy badge courtesy of Visa and McDonald’s.

This means that as soon as they enter the restaurant they are reminded that Visa is an easy way to pay – so the two brands and the core message are tied together at the point of purchase.

The first 500 people to earn the badge also receive a $5 Visa gift card.

As the user keeps visiting McDonald’s they level up their badge, so the rewards keep coming and the brand messaging is reinforced.

The badge is displayed on users’ profile page, so friends see that they are a fan of the McDonald’s and Visa brands – giving the program a viral edge.

“We are able to communicate with consumers wherever they are – in this case when they are actually in McDonald’s and usually before they have paid,” Mr. Lawson said. “Combining interactive, digital media at the point of purchase we think is a unique and powerful combination.”