MoneyGram Rewards was introduced in the United States in 2008, and expanded earlier this year into Germany, Spain and France. The program now has more than 3.5 million customers who enjoy the benefits of membership, which include discounted transactions, a personalized card for expediting money transfers, quarterly statements and the ability to manage their account and profile online. In addition, MoneyGram in September added a feature to the program that allows rewards program members to be notified via SMS text message when their money transfer transaction has been picked up by the receiver.

"The MoneyGram Rewards program was created to attract new customers and keep them coming back by offering benefits that make their MoneyGram experience as easy as possible," said Andrew Johnsen, marketing manager for MoneyGram International in Canada. "We believe this will be an especially welcome program for customers who frequently send money to South Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and the Philippines."

In Canada and Europe, MoneyGram Rewards provides consumers a 5 percent discount on all transactions, a personalized membership card that reduces paper forms for faster transactions, and immediate notification when funds are collected by the recipient via e-mail or SMS text message. The launch of the rewards program is a continuation of MoneyGram's growth and expanding reach in Canada. In July, the company announced the rollout of thousands of additional Canada Post locations resulting in MoneyGram money transfer services available today at more than 5,000 Canada Post outlets coast to coast.