Gift and Loyalty Cards from Merchant Express®

Gift and loyalty cards can add a whole new dimension to your small business while satisfying the expectations of your customers to both give gifts and receive them.

As always, Merchant Express® is uniquely equipped to assist merchants and service providers to accept credit cards and promote their brand with a full complement of gift and loyalty card solutions through our alliance with Valutec®, an industry leader in pre-packaged and custom gift card programs and merchandising tools.

On the surface, gift cards and loyalty cards share some similarities. They are stored-value cards that are reusable and an excellent electronic alternative to old paper gift certificates. Both types of cards are the size of a standard credit card, made of plastic and feature a magnetic stripe that contains account-related information.

When a customer purchases a gift card from you, you load it with the monetary value specified by the buyer, who can then either keep the card for themselves as a convenient payment method or give it to someone else who can use it to make purchases at your business.

A loyalty card works differently in that you, the merchant, load it with a certain value of points or credits and then give it to a valued customer as part of your marketing campaign to encourage them to continue patronizing your business. Loyalty cards are also referred to as rewards cards, club cards and discount cards.

Loyalty cards can be used to track customer activity, helping you to collect valuable demographic information while offering a competitive edge over other merchants. If you want to expand your customer base and encourage repeat business, one of our loyalty programs may be just the tool you need.

Gift cards and loyalty cards from Valutec come in standard and custom designs to fit your budget.

In addition to helping increase revenue, the gift and loyalty card programs offered through Merchant Express have a number of benefits for our merchants, including:

1. State-of-the-art processing through your POS card terminal offers direct communication with Valutec’s Data Center. Cards are readily activated, redeemed and reloaded, and you have access to database information, recording transactions, and loading or unloading card balances.

2. Simplified bookkeeping through Valutec’s backend processing system with local POS and online reporting gives you access to reporting tools like detailed card activation and redemption reports that help keep your records current. A monthly gift card statement tracks gift card volume sales, the Daily Batch Report provides a chronological list of all transactions and the Monthly Corporate Summary statement reports all transactions by location and total fees billed. Access to reports is password protected, and all reports are available online, by email or fax.

3. Data reliability is provided by the Data Center, which delivers processing, information storage and retrieval services. Valutec boasts a 99% + up-time track record.

4. Customer service and support are included in every gift and loyalty card program. Just call Valutec’s toll-free number, which is available around the clock, and they’ll make sure you get superior service for selling and redeeming cards.

5. Improved brand recognition helps you stand out from your competition. Customized gift cards get your business name into the wallets of customers and potential customers, establish your product or service as a premium and promote your brand in the marketplace.

Getting started with the Merchant Express gift and loyalty card programs is easy. Just ask your sales representative, or contact us, and we’ll establish a direct contact with Valutec for you. Valutec will do the rest, providing everything needed to set-up the program(s) of your choice, including help with designing generic or custom cards and 24/7 service and support.