Brazil's Esfera loyalty program imposes new installment limits, points may not accrue
Customers in Brazil have reported recent changes when buying points from the Esfera loyalty program, especially when paying with certain credit cards.
The main issues are (a) purchases being declined when more than four installments are attempted, despite Esfera’s advertised option of up to 10‑12 interest‑free installments, and (b) some transactions no longer earning loyalty points. The merchant identifier on statements sometimes appears as Santander, the financial group that owns the program, and issuers such as Itaú have been mentioned in the complaints.
Esfera has not issued an official statement confirming a broad rule change. Travel‑loyalty specialist Hugo Reis do Viagem warned that continued problems could push customers toward alternative programs like Livelo and Revpoints.
Entities: Esfera · Hugo Reis do Viagem · Itau · Santander
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Itaú credit cards have been mentioned by customers as being declined for Esfera point purchases beyond four installments (support)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Specialist Hugo Reis do Viagem warned that the issue may cause customers to switch to other programs like Livelo and Revpoints (support)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The merchant identifier for Esfera purchases sometimes appears as Santander, the financial group that owns the program (support)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Customers reported that purchases of Esfera points are limited to a maximum of four installments when using certain credit cards (support)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Some purchases of Esfera points no longer generate loyalty points (support)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Esfera advertises the ability to purchase points in up to 10 or 12 interest‑free installments (support)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Esfera has not issued an official statement confirming a broad rule change regarding installment limits (support)