McDonald’s planning a loyalty program

McDonald’s Corp. expects to offer a loyalty program to U.S. customers later this year.

The Oak Brook fast-food giant’s loyalty program will be built around its smartphone app, which has been downloaded 7.5 million times since its release last year, according to a Nation’s Restaurant News report.

“We’re working on a customer-designed loyalty program that we think will be as good as there is out there in the marketplace,” McDonald’s USA President Mike Andres said at a investors conference Wednesday.

In addition to rewards for purchases, Andres said the program might include enticing customers to come back if they haven’t been in a restaurant for awhile.