“There’s nothing like it in the U.S.,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer of AT&T Mobility, which doesn’t currently have a loyalty program and is looking to broadening its customer base through Plenti. Customers can earn points by paying their wireless bill or buying products at retail outlets.

John Learish, senior vice president for marketing at Rite Aid, said the pharmacy chain’s existing loyalty program, Wellness Plus, would be integrated with Plenti as a way to broaden its appeal.

Abeer Bhatia, chief executive of U.S. Loyalty, said that its research showed significant demand for a program in the United States, but that it had taken more than two years to assemble a large enough group of companies. Other inaugural members are Nationwide insurance, the online video service Hulu, and Direct Energy, which provides gas and electric service as well as plumbers and electricians under the Benjamin Franklin and Mr. Sparky brands, respectively.

More partners in different lines of business are expected to be added as the program grows.

Previous attempts have been made — unsuccessfully — to create coalition programs here, by companies that have run them overseas, said Emily Collins, senior analyst with Forrester Research. Their downfall, she said, was that they lacked a compelling enough lineup of merchants, and struggled with the large size and fragmented nature of the United States market, where businesses like grocery stores tend to operate regionally.

To make Plenti attractive, Mr. Bhatia said, it is free for consumers to join and has been designed to be convenient; currently, many consumers have several different plastic cards or key fobs for each loyalty program they belong to, and often have difficulty keeping track of their points. Registered Plenti members will have a single Plenti card — or a digital version that resides on their smartphone. They can also enter their telephone number on the PIN pad at the time of purchase.