Commonwealth Bank Yello
Customer Loyalty
Commonwealth Bank Yello
Retail Bankinig
User Interface Design
CommBank Yello is the loyalty experience built into the CommBank app, rewarding eligible customers with cashback, discounts, exclusive offers and experiences based on how they bank. In 2026, it went through its biggest change yet: from 1 October 2026, Yello is introducing a single points-based currency across the program, combining it with the existing CommBank Awards points system. commbank The scale and stakes were significant. More than nine million CommBank customers became eligible to earn points on home loans, savings accounts, insurance and credit cards, with unredeemed Awards points converting to Yello points one for one. The new model is tiered, and the rate at which points are earned depends partly on how many banking products a customer holds with CBA. Commonwealth Bank reimagines rewards for everyday banking, helping customers save on shopping, utility bills and travel +2 That created a real design challenge. Customers had to understand a new currency, tiers, partner transfers and redemption options without losing trust in points they’d already earned. Clarity mattered: a Canstar survey found over one in four Australians aren’t sure how to get the most out of rewards programs. The goal was a single, visible experience where points accumulate in one balance in the CommBank app and NetBank, making rewards easier to see and track. canstar commbank As Senior User Interface Designer on the Yello team, I worked across the full product design lifecycle, from user research and wireframes to interaction flows and high-fidelity design for iOS and Android. Working closely with product managers, developers and stakeholders, I helped turn research insights and business goals into a clear, consistent loyalty experience that customers could easily understand and use.
Challenge
CommBank was changing how millions of customers think about rewards. From 1 October 2026, Yello was introducing a single points-based currency and merging with the CommBank Awards program, so customers who knew Yello for cashback and offers now had to learn a new points system, while Awards cardholders had to move to a program they hadn’t used before. The new model added complexity on several fronts at once. Points could be earned on home loans, savings accounts, insurance and credit cards, and earn rates depended partly on how many CBA products a customer held. Tiers ranged from standard Yello through Plus and Gold to Diamond, each earning at a different rate. Redemption also changed, with points usable for travel booking or transferable to partners such as Velocity, Qatar Airways and Qantas. Trust was on the line. Customers’ existing Awards points were being converted automatically, one for one, so the experience had to reassure people their balance was safe and show clearly what it was now worth. Not every change landed as a gain: commentators noted that not everyone would come out ahead, especially in the lower tiers, and some regional customers lost practical rewards when standalone fuel vouchers were replaced by indirect conversions through partner schemes. On top of that, many Australians already struggle with rewards programs, with over one in four unsure how to get the most out of them. The challenge was to make a more complex program feel simpler: one clear balance, tiers that made sense, and earning and redemption that customers could understand at a glance on a phone screen.
Solution
The new Yello experience was designed around one idea: make a more complex rewards program feel simple. Instead of separate cashback offers and Awards points, customers see everything in one place inside the CommBank app and NetBank. One balance, always visible. Points from every eligible product collect in a single balance that’s easy to see and track, so customers always know what they have without needing to understand how each product earns. Tiers that show progress. Yello’s tiers were presented as a journey rather than a rulebook. As customers bank more with CommBank, they can unlock higher tiers with more chances to earn points and extra benefits, with progress shown clearly so people know where they stand and what to do next. A reassuring move from Awards. Awards points were converted automatically, one for one, and became visible in the app and NetBank. The experience focused on making that change feel safe: showing customers their balance had carried over and explaining in plain language what it could now be used for. Redemption made practical. Rewards were organised around everyday value, from shopping and bills to travel, with partners such as Woolworths Everyday Rewards, Origin Energy, Myer, Velocity, DoorDash, bp and Qatar Airways. Clear examples showed what points could buy, rather than leaving customers to work out exchange rates. Designed for both platforms. As Senior UI Designer, I worked from user research through wireframes, interaction flows and high-fidelity designs for iOS and Android, keeping the experience consistent across both and making sure research insights shaped key decisions.
Result
The new CommBank Yello points experience launched on 1 October 2026, moving one of Australia’s largest loyalty programs to a single points currency. More than nine million customers became eligible to earn points across savings accounts, home loans, insurance and credit cards, all in one experience inside the CommBank app and NetBank. The move from Awards was designed to feel seamless. Eligible customers were moved into the new experience automatically, and their converted Awards points have been appearing in the app and NetBank progressively since launch, with no action needed on their part. The launch also opened up a much broader rewards ecosystem, including one of Australia’s largest banking and airline loyalty partnerships with Velocity Frequent Flyer. Within weeks, CommBank rolled out a refreshed set of partner offers, including 9 cents per litre off fuel at bp, alongside Everyday Rewards, Origin, DoorDash and others. Launched to 9 million+ eligible CommBank customers One points balance across banking, cards and insurance Automatic, one-for-one move from Awards to Yello points Partner rewards across travel, shopping, energy and fuel Consistent experience across iOS, Android and NetBank
From our Client:
"as consumers increasingly use artificial intelligence to shop around, compare, and transact, the value of maintaining a trusted, primary banking relationship becomes even more crucial. The revamped CommBank Yello serves as the primary mechanism to lock in that loyalty by rewarding customers across their whole banking relationship—including home loans, deposits, and insurance—rather than just credit card spend"
Matt Comyn
CEO