Plenti, the new American Express rewards program for a selection of major brands, will kick off on May 4.

The rewards program serves AT&T, ExxonMobil, Macy’s, Nationwide, Rite Aid, Direct Energy and Hulu.

The interesting thing about Plenti — and why is deserves our mention — is that it lets consumers generate rewards for use within a specific network of companies. In other words, consumers can earn “Plenti points” for signing up with AT&T, and use those points to save on purchases at, say, Rite Aid. Plenti describes itself as “the first U.S.-based coalition loyalty program with well-known brands where consumers can earn and use Plenti points for purchasing a wide range of products, regardless of the payment method consumers choose to use.”

American Express, for its part, is leveraging its expertise in running a rewards program, rather than just facilitating payments, in launching Plenti for the participating blue-chip companies.

Here’s how American Express, which first released word of Plenti in March, described the need for Plenti:

Recent research indicates that nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of Americans say they would prefer a rewards program that allows them to shop at many stores versus a single brand. Plenti is designed to address that need … Plenti will be free to join, and consumers can earn points and discounts using any form of payment accepted by the participating brands, including cash, prepaid and any debit, charge or credit card.

At Rite Aid, for example, consumers who earn 200 Plenti points will save $2 at checkout, either at a store or online. Rite Aid had offered two rewards programs +UP and wellness+. The +UP rewards will transfer to Plenti, while wellness+ will merge with the Plenti program.