Coupons.com Introduces Ability to Load Digital Coupons to Credit Cards for Saving at Specialty Retailers and Restaurants

Add Offers to Payment Card via Web or Mobile App; Swipe Card at Checkout for Automatic Redemption

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Apr 07, 2014, 07:55 ET

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Coupons.com Incorporated (NYSE: COUP), a leader in digital coupons, today released updates to the Coupons.com website and the Coupons.com mobile apps with a service that lets consumers add coupons directly to payment cards. Using the Coupons.com website or Coupons.com mobile apps for iOS and Android, shoppers can easily add digital coupons to their credit or debit cards from Visa, MasterCard or American Express for automatic redemption at checkout. Offers are available for restaurants and specialty retailers such as GAP, Old Navy, The Body Shop, Tilly's and Travelocity. The service incorporates technology from the company's recent acquisition of Yub Inc. that links offers to payment cards.

"We always look to innovate in ways that help consumers save money," said Bruce Sattley, senior vice president of product management at Coupons.com Incorporated. "So we are really pleased to unveil our card linked service, which sets itself apart with ease of use, great offers and support for Visa, MasterCard and American Express cards. This combination delivers a best-in-class service for consumers and merchants wanting to take advantage of this emerging medium of digital coupons for saving on card purchases, primarily for in-store transactions, which still make up more than 90 percent of U.S. purchases."

For Consumers

Coupons.com Card Linked Offers is simple to use. Shoppers register their payment card and select offers they want—at home, on the go or in the store. Then simply swipe the card at checkout and automatically receive the discounts.

How it works:

Link Payment Card. Consumers register their Visa, MasterCard or American Express card through Coupons.com website or mobile app. This can be credit or debit cards issued by any bank and is not restricted to a single bank or card type. Registration is required only once—not each time an offer is added, which is an advantage for Coupons.com users.
Select Coupons. Consumers then browse offers and simply click to add to the payment card. Coupons.com offers are for cash discounts or gift cards, not points or rewards that users accrue. Users should check for new offers frequently since Coupons.com is regularly adding new offers from retailers and restaurants.
Save at Checkout. Use the linked payment card in the store or on the merchant's website or e-commerce-enabled mobile apps. A text message or email notification confirming the acceptance of the coupon is sent when the purchase meets the conditions of the offer. Cash discounts are credited directly to the consumer's card account and settled within a few days. In the case of a gift card reward, redemption codes are sent within a few minutes.

Users can access the new service using the Card Linked Offers tab on Coupons.com (www.coupons.com/card-linked-offers) or the Coupons.com mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Swipe & Save at Top National Chains

A sampling of current and recent coupon offers includes:

GAP – Get 6% Cash Back When Spending $50+ at Local GAP Store
Denny's – $5.00 Off Purchase of $10.00 or More (Dine in Only)
Old Navy – Get 6% Cash Back $50+ Purchase at Local Old Navy Store
The Body Shop – Get $5 & Free Shipping When Spending $50+ Online
Travelocity – Save $20 Off Purchase of $200

Additional offers from retailers and restaurants are expected to be added regularly.

For Merchants

The Coupons.com card linked offers platform, named CardLink iQ^™, gives specialty retailers and restaurants a new way to generate sales and increase brand loyalty among customers. Merchants can use card linked offers to drive traffic to their brick-and-mortar stores and to drive transaction volume on their e-commerce websites and mobile apps. For merchants wanting to focus on in-store sales, CardLink iQ gives them an effective way to use digital marketing to drive measurable offline purchases. And merchants do not need to alter point-of-sale systems or train staff with special procedures, so the process doesn't slow down checkout lines.

CardLink iQ is a pay-for-performance model that lets merchants directly tie online marketing spend to purchases and provides detailed, real-time reporting to measure campaign performance at a granular level. Redemption limits can be set with continuous monitoring of consumer usage to enable effective management of promotions budgets. In addition to placing card linked offers on the Coupons.com network and mobile app, CardLink iQ can also power offers directly on merchants' own sites and marketing channels, increasing consumer access with multiple touch points.

"CardLink iQ gives merchants the opportunity to connect with shoppers at scale, including the millions of users of Coupons.com, our mobile apps and our growing network of affiliate publishers," said Sattley. "With this service, Coupons.com uniquely offers retailers and restaurants a single resource for the broadest set of promotions, including site-to-store printable coupons, coupon codes for online shopping and now paperless card linked offers."

Businesses interested in learning more about CardLink iQ can email [email protected].

About Coupons.com Incorporated

Coupons.com Incorporated (NYSE: COUP) operates a leading digital promotion platform that connects great brands and retailers with consumers, offering digital printable coupons, digital paperless coupons, coupon codes and other promotions. For brand marketers, the company distributes digital coupons to millions of consumers through Coupons.com, 30,000 publishers comprising the Coupons.com digital coupon network, our social presence and our mobile applications. The company also powers digital coupon initiatives in online marketing campaigns—including display advertising, email and social media programs. Clients include hundreds of consumer packaged goods companies (including Clorox, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg's, Kimberly-Clark, and Kraft Foods) and their brands, top retailers (such as A&P, CVS, Duane Reade, H-E-B, Kmart, Kroger, Safeway and Walgreens) and leading restaurant, toy and entertainment companies. For consumers, the company operates Coupons.com, which offers a valuable collection of digital coupons and coupon codes, and also offers Grocery iQ and Coupons.com mobile applications as well as KitchMe.com and the KitchMe app for Google Glass. For publishers, the company offers solutions to monetize website traffic, including branded microsites, and Brandcaster, a self-service coupons syndication platform. Founded in 1998, the company is based in Mountain View, CA. To start printing coupons, visit www.coupons.com. To learn more about the company visit www.couponsinc.com. Visit Coupons.com on Facebook at www.facebook.com/couponscom.