The CreditBack card program of Utah-based CreditBack Inc., which has more than 110 participating retail locations in Hawaii, has scaled back its operations.

CreditBack sold customer loyalty programs to retailers whose customers would receive discounts or other benefits. The retailers would also receive database management and customer appreciation services, but those have been discontinued, said Chris McMahon, Hawaii vice president for CreditBack and former director of merchant services for the Star-Bulletin and MidWeek.

“;The economy has played a major role in us not being able to fund CreditBack anymore,”; he said.

“;Any CreditBack cardholder can continue to use the card at participating stores and get the instant benefit.”;

The CreditBack service that sends customer appreciation gift certificates to participating companies' customers has been discontinued.

CreditBack is instead focusing on Learning Point Rewards, a program rolled out this year that shoppers can use to make online purchases, donate a portion of those proceeds to a public school of their choice and earn points toward merchandise at Walmart.com that will be shipped free to their home.

Some Hawaii merchants have discontinued the CreditBack program, but many have opted to “;roll in”; to Learning Point, McMahon said.

Learning Point participants go to the Web site, register for free and, using the site as their shopping portal, earn benefits for schools and themselves or their children.

“;Little Kainoa can earn an XBox and mom doesn't have to pay for it, and the school's getting automatic funding,”; McMahon said.