Shell Hosts The How I FRN™ Contest For Fuel Rewards Network Program Members

HOUSTON, Jan. 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Shell launched How I FRN™, a contest that invites consumers to submit a photograph or video via Instagram or Twitter that represents the individual's experience with the Fuel Rewards Network™ program, or FRN™ program. Consumers are encouraged to think creatively about how they might be able to demonstrate their experience with and understanding of the program, as Shell will be selecting one weekly winner per week, along with a Grand Prize Winner, First Runner-Up and Second Runner-Up whose entries best convey the features and benefits of the FRN program. Shell is hosting the How I FRN contest to encourage FRN Members to take full advantage of the savings available through the FRN program.

"We're excited to see the creative and cost-effective ways our customers interact with the FRN program," says Jim Perkins, North American Marketing Alliance Manager at Shell. "As we start out the new year Shell knows that saving money is a top priority, and we're excited to provide the opportunity for drivers to win big just by showing us how they save through the program."

From January 31 through March 14, FRN Members are invited to submit a photograph or video via Instagram or Twitter that represents the individual's experience with the FRN program. To be eligible for a prize, each entry must be tagged with the official How I FRN Contest hashtag: #HowIFRN, and must also be accompanied by a brief caption describing how the FRN Member uses or plans to use the FRN program to save.

Each week Shell will select a weekly prize winner to receive a $250 Shell and FRN Gift Card. Entries will be judged and winners selected based on the following criteria:

• 30% adherence to entry requirements
• 20% creativity of photo or video
• 30% demonstrate basic understanding of how the program works
• 20% demonstrate specific ways rewards were earned (or plan to be earned)

At the end of the contest, Shell will select one Grand Prize Winner, one First Runner-Up and one Second Runner-Up from the pool of six weekly prize winners. The Grand Prize Winner will receive Free Fuel for a Year*, the First Runner-Up will receive $1,000 in Shell and FRN Gift Cards and the Second Runner-Up will receive $500 in Shell and FRN Gift Cards.

"We are proud to offer consumers many ways to save on Shell fuel by participating in the Fuel Rewards Network program," said Dickson Perry, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Excentus, provider of the Fuel Rewards Network program. "How I FRN encourages FRN Members to explore all of the various savings opportunities available through the program so that everyday purchases become a chance to save big."

Shell is encouraging FRN Members to take advantage of the following spending tips in the new year to get the most out of their dollars in 2014 and beyond:

• Book your travel this year through the FRN Online Mall, including flights, car rentals, cruises, hotels and food and dining. The money you spend will be put to good use, earning you five cents per gallon or more for every qualifying $50 you spend.
• Make your money work double-time for you when you go out for meals by choosing a restaurant that is participating in the FRN program. You'll earn 10 cents per gallon for every qualifying $50 you spend.
• Do your shopping through the FRN Online Mall and earn five cents per gallon or more for every $50 you spend on qualifying purchases. With nearly 700 brand-name retailers available, you can earn rewards on everyday purchases like household goods, clothing and more. 

Consumers who are not yet members of the free FRN program are invited to visit fuelrewards.com to sign up today so they can start earning and redeeming rewards through the program. FRN Members across the country can also receive instant savings at the pump by taking a minimum of 3 cents off per gallon on every fill-up at participating Shell stations when they swipe their FRN Card.    

Consumers can visit www.shell.us/howifrn to learn more about the How I FRN Contest and ways to save through the FRN program. Consumers are also encouraged to follow @Shell_OnTheRoad on Instagram (www.instagram.com/shell_ontheroad) and/or @Shell_US on Twitter (www.twitter.com/shell_US), and "Like" Shell on Facebook (www.facebook.com/shell) for updates on How I FRN.

*For the purposes of this Prize, "a year's worth of Shell V-Power Premium Gasoline®" is calculated as the average consumer's yearly gasoline consumption of 636 gallons (4.5 fuel purchases per month x 11.77 gallons of gasoline per purchase x 12 months) at an average January 22, 2014 cost of $3.283/ gallon consistent with the Oil Price Information Services national average released on January 22, 2014 (636 x $3.283 = $2,087.22). The prize has been rounded up to $2,100.00.  

About Shell
Shell Oil Products US, a subsidiary of Shell Oil Company, is a leader in the refining, transportation and marketing of fuels, with a network of approximately 6,000 Shell-branded gasoline stations in the western United States. Another 8,300 Shell-branded stations in the eastern and southern regions are managed by Motiva Enterprises LLC, a 50/50 joint venture between Shell Oil Company and Saudi Refining, Inc.

Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Royal Dutch Shell plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with 93,000 employees in more than 90 countries. [(NYSE:RDS.A) and (NYSE:RDS.B)]

About Excentus and the Fuel Rewards Network™ Program
The Fuel Rewards Network™ program is owned and operated by Excentus Corporation. Excentus is the creator of and patent-holder for marketing programs and services that utilize price roll down discounts at the pump as the ultimate consumer reward. Excentus has spent more than fifteen years developing and perfecting the Fuel Rewards Network™ program's technology and program features to make it easy for consumers to save money on fuel and convenient for businesses to build loyalty and create value for customers. The growing Fuel Rewards Network™ program provides members with the opportunity to earn free fuel simply by purchasing the things they normally would from more than 1,400 retail locations, nearly 700 online merchants, and 10,000+ restaurants, and redeeming their rewards at participating fuel stations across the country. To date, Excentus has helped more than 10 million consumers save hundreds of millions of dollars on fuel. Excentus currently holds nine patents on the technology behind the cents per gallon model and licenses various uses of its patent portfolio to provide private-label fuel discount programs through its business unit, Centego II, LLC. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Excentus was founded in 1996 and is a privately held company with more than 200 employees. For more information please visit www.excentus.com

Cautionary Note
The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this press release "Shell", "Shell group" and "Royal Dutch Shell" are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. ''Subsidiaries'', "Shell subsidiaries" and "Shell companies" as used in this press release refer to companies over which Royal Dutch Shell plc  either directly or indirectly has control. Companies over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to "joint ventures" and companies over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as "associates". In this press release, joint ventures and associates may also be referred to as "equity-accounted investments". The term "Shell interest" is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect (for example, through our 23% shareholding in Woodside Petroleum Ltd.) ownership interest held by Shell in a venture, partnership or company, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

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SOURCE Shell Oil Products US