The Prepaid Press - February 2009 - (Page 25)

GIFT CARDS & PROMOTIONS February 15 · 2009 - 25 Ntreev USA Announces PvP Tournament Enter to win Ultimate Game Cards from PlaySpan IRVINE, CA (January 29, 2009) Ntreev USA, Inc. has launched “The Young and the Wrestless” player-versus-player tournament for Grand Chase, sponsored by PlaySpan. Grand Chase players will now be able to compete for prizes including PlaySpan’s Ultimate Game Card, the prepaid gift card accepted by more than 200 online multiplayer games. The tournament will be divided into two main competitions, the “Young Blood” tournament and the “Bad Blood” tournament. The “Young Blood” portion of the tournament is accessible to all players with a valid Grand Chase play account in good standing, regardless of character, job, level or equipment. The map used for the tournament will be chosen by an online vote on the Grand Chase forums, and the qualifying round will consist of a six-person survival battle. The last player standing in each match will move on to the playoffs. The playoff round will consist of a singleelimination bracket. The winners of each round in the playoffs will receive Ultimate Game Cards, each worth $10.00 in credit. Winnings are cumulative, so the more rounds a player wins, the more Ultimate Game Cards they win, with up to $120 in credit awarded to those who reach the finals. Also, those who manage to claim victory in the semifinals and finals will receive Champion Armor sets. There will also be a separate “Bad Blood,” invitation-only competition featuring the top six winners from the four previous Grand Chase tournaments. These elite Grand Chase warriors will compete in a winner-take-all survival tournament. The winner will receive an armor set, a statue in the in-game Park, a custom illustration of their character by an Ntreev artist that will become the loading screen for Grand Chase for two weeks, and a plaque signed by the entire Ntreev USA staff bearing that illustration. Source: Ntreev USA Inc. (www.ntreev.com) Cellfire Expands Kroger Mobile Coupon Program Consumers Save Using Their Mobile Phone or Computer SAN JOSE, CA (January 27, 2009) Cellfire Inc. has announced the nationwide expansion of its digital grocery coupon program with The Kroger Co. Cellfire digital grocery coupons are now available via mobile phone or computer, and redeemable at more than 2,400 stores Kroger operates nationwide. The Cellfire digital grocery coupon service offers savings on dozens of brands, and dozens of top products each month. Cellfire issues new grocery offers every two weeks. To start saving money, consumers can register for a Cellfire account at http://www.cellfire. com from their mobile phone or computer. Once registered, users link their grocery savings card to their Cellfire account. Coupons can be viewed within the Cellfire service on the mobile phone, or from any computer. The coupons selected are immediately loaded to the grocery savings card, and applied automatically on qualifying items and reflected on the receipt at checkout when their card is presented. Once a coupon is used or expires, it is automatically removed from the Cellfire account. “The Cellfire digital coupon program is one of the many ways Kroger is making it easier for our customers to stretch the value of the dollar for the things they need from the brands they love,” said David Ciancio, vice president of customer relationship marketing at Kroger Co. “We are pleased to be able to extend this program to our customers across the country.” Kroger serves customers in 2,477 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 31 states under two dozen local banners including Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Food 4 Less, Fry’s, King Soopers, Smith’s, Dillons, QFC and City Market. “Given the nature of the medium, digital coupons allow brands to better measure the effectiveness of their marketing efforts while providing compelling value to consumers at the point-of-sale,” said Brent Dusing, CEO of Cellfire. “At the same time, Cellfire works across the multiple platforms of cell phones, the Web and savings cards, making the coupon clipping process more convenient for consumers compared to the alternatives.” As the economy continues to put a strain on consumers’ pocketbooks, coupon use is up across all age groups and income levels. According to a recent Promotion Marketing Association survey, 89 percent of people report using coupons when shopping for grocery, household and health-care items at supermarkets. This helps them save 7 percent on average off their grocery bill. Yet, changing media habits and declining newspaper circulation have made it less likely consumers will find and use the over 300 billion paper coupons distributed annually. Consumers access the Cellfire digital coupon service through an easy-to- use application that resides on their cell phone, through a mobile Web browser or from any computer. New offers are added frequently and users can access the Cellfire service at their convenience to discover and use discounts specific to their geographic area. Coupons are displayed in an organized manner, allowing consumers to navigate through coupons by category and select the offers they want to use. Cellfire is a free service, although standard data or usage charges may apply for mobile usage depending on the carrier or data plan. Source: Cellfire (www.cellfire.com) Kroger (www.kroger.com) hhgregg to Help Circuit City Customers Will Extend Acceptance of Gift Cards, Warranty Service INDIANAPOLIS, IN (January 26, 2009) Indianapolis-based appliance and electronics retailer, hhgregg (NYSE:HGG), has announced two initiatives to provide assurance to consumers concerned about Circuit City gift cards and service warranties as Circuit City liquidates stores throughout the country. The company will assist in establishing factory authorized service on manufacturer-warranted items that customers originally purchased from Circuit City. hhgregg is also extending its acceptance of Circuit City gift cards through April 1, 2009. Customers that have purchased manufacturer-warranted merchandise from Circuit City can now call or bring items to hhgregg for service. Customers wishing to arrange service can call hhgregg’s toll-free customer service center at (800) 284-7344 (or 800-28-GREGG) for an inhome appointment, or bring defective merchandise to any hhgregg store. Proof of purchase is required to enable hhgregg to facilitate the service process. “At hhgregg, we want to assist those who may be impacted by other retailer’s store closures, and demonstrate our dedication to superior customer service,” said Dennis May, President and Chief Operating Officer at hhgregg. “We believe that customers who have purchased appliances and electronics expect and deserve this level of service, so we are stepping up to assist them.” Because of high demand, hhgregg is also extending its promotion to accept Circuit City gift cards until April 1, 2009. hhgregg will accept Circuit City gift cards that, upon verification of the gift card balance, can be applied toward any hhgregg purchase. The gift card value will be good toward up to 20 percent of the total hhgregg product purchase price and is not available for use on hhgregg.com. “By accepting Circuit City gift cards, hhgregg is able to offer customers a wide selection of high-quality merchandise and services, the knowledge of our highly trained salespeople and the confidence that we will be available to provide superior customer service and support should they encounter any issues with their purchase,” added May. Upon completion of the transaction, the Circuit City gift card will become the property of hhgregg. hhgregg and this promotion are not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Circuit City Stores West Coast, INC. or Circuit City Stores, INC. Source: hhgregg (www.hhgregg.com) Petrofix.com Offers a New Fuel Solution Prepaid Cost Protection Plan Pays When Prices Rise purchase a plan for some quantity of ‘monthly gallons’ they can continue to buy their gasoline as usual at any gas station they choose. Each month the plan pays the customer if the month’s average price of gasoline is higher than at the start of the plan. The plan compensation or ‘payouts’ are based on average prices published by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), a government agency. An example of a plan payout is as follows: you purchase a plan for your area with 100 monthly gallons, and gasoline prices next month average $1 higher than today’s price. The plan would then pay you the difference of one hundred dollars for that month ($1 x 100 gallons). If prices averaged lower than today, your gasoline cost would be lower than before but there would be no plan payout for that month. “The most important thing for our customers is they get a transparent and solid product to cap their fuel costs. The price source has integrity and can be verified by anyone, and we make it so that our customers receive their payouts automatically by check or credit card,” explains Managing Partner Edward Lee. Petrofix.com offers the Fuel Cost Protection Plans for all areas across the United States. Plan lengths range from 3 months to 24 months, and the customer can purchase coverage to suit their consumption. On the website, customers can use a calculator to decide for how much of their monthly fuel cost they want capped. Registered customers can view their payout history and their relevant gas prices. Source: Petrofix.com (www.petrofix.com) NRF Releases December Industry Sales Holiday Sales Decline 2.8 Percent in 2008 NEW YORK CITY, NY (January 14, 2009) A deep recession, severe winter weather and five fewer shopping days combined to create the most challenging sales environment in years for the nation’s retailers, says the National Retail Federation. According to the NRF, retail industry sales for December (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) declined 2.2 percent unadjusted over last year and decreased 1.4 percent seasona http://www.cellfire.com http://www.cellfire.com http://www.ntreev.com http://www.hhgregg.com http://www.cellfire.com http://www.kroger.com http://www.Petrofix.com http://www.hhgregg.com http://www.Petrofix.com http://www.Petrofix.com http://www.petrofix.com http://www.petrofix.com http://www.nrf.com http://www.Petrofix.com http://www.petrofix.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Prepaid Press - February 2009

Payments & Processing: Prepaid Debit Card Trends Contents The Retske Report: A Courthouse Divided Regulatory Rundown Prepaid Business: 5 Minutes With Darren Dat Lu, CEO of Lunex Group Prepaid Telecom: International Mobile Top-Up Virgin Mobile USA Compliance Plan Accepted by NYSE Tata Communications Launches One IP World KIT Communications Selects PhoenixSoft Sprint Nextel Increases Payments to Virgin Mobile Motorola, Sprint and Boost Mobile Welcome iDEN Flip PhoenixSoft Announces New Program Virgin Mobile Partners with Susan G. Komen The State of Prepaid Technology: Prepaid Virtual Operators Emerge Prepaid Wireless Roundup Boost Launches ‘Monthly Unlimited’ in More Cities Cricket Selects Callidus On-Demand Solution ICC Worldwide Expands Prepaid Products IPsmarx Launches SIP Based Card Platform The Legal Line Prepaid Telecom in Brief Pinnacle Rolls Out Ingenico’s Payment Terminals TransCard Makes Staff Announcements H&R Block Bank Selects MasterCard Avangate Pays Vendors and Affiliates with Prepaid MC TIO Networks Announces Grant of Stock Options TSYS Offers Enhanced Loyalty Solution First American Payment Systems Inks Deal with RDM Hypercom Introduces HyperSafe Remote Key System i2c Expands Team iPayStation Integrates with Movistar Payments & Processing in Brief New Javelin Report on Evolving Prepaid Card Market TransCard, Socialwise Plan to Revolutionize Prepaid Congresswoman Introduces Financial Literacy Act Industry Analysis on Mobile Banking Available Gift Cards & Promotions: Seven Cost-Conscious Marketing Strategies for 2009 Ntreev USA Announces PvP Tournament hhgregg to Help Circuit City Customers NRF Releases December Industry Sales Cellfire Expands Kroger Mobile Coupon Program Petrofix.com Offers a New Fuel Solution Gift Cards & Promotions in Brief Our Advertisers Contact Us

The Prepaid Press - February 2009

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.