They also earn points by checking in at town halls and voting stations via Foursquare.

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Customers can also earn rewards points with other Citigroup products, such as checking and savings accounts, that they can use as currency.

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The conclusion: eliminate the "pain points" in the airport, such as checking in, checking bags and lining up to board, Ms. Bulkin said.

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In September, PNC Bank will no longer give reward points for debit card purchases to customers with free checking accounts.

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Centralized switches can monitor several thousand points receiving Wi-Fi signals over several buildings, checking laptops and other devices for viruses and quarantining infected machines.

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CreditSights, a research firm, points out that the bank's deposit growth has been stagnant: deposits at its checking accounts grew only 1% in the second quarter compared with the year before, even though the bank has expanded hugely in the meantime.

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There are some points of value, such as turning off a light from afar, adjusting a thermostat or checking if you left the oven on.

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