Chamber Launches New Gift Card for “Keep It QC” Campaign
The Quad Cities Chamber on Thursday launched the “Keep It QC” gift card and rewards program as part of its Keep It QC campaign, to boost the Q-C economy and community through local spending.
The Keep It QC initiative supports local consumer spending during the holidays and beyond.
The program is a way for consumers to buy local or to gift local to others by purchasing cards redeemable at a variety of area merchants.
“We know that every dollar kept in the Quad-Cities increases our collective success, which is why we’re unveiling the Keep It QC gift card and rewards program,” said Erin Platt, Quad Cities Chamber marketing director. “As we head into the holiday season, this card is a great way to both support buying local as well as to give the gift of local and drive more dollars into our local economy.”
The gift cards are available for purchase for use at any Q-C merchant that accepts Visa cards – such as retailers, restaurants, salons, spas, boutiques, sports and entertainment, hotels, and more.
Consumers can purchase the Keep It QC Visa Gift Card for self-use or gift to another recipient via https://thecommunitygiftcard.com/keepitqc. You can order s card in the amounts of $25, $50, $75, $100 or more, and a list of participating businesses (144 so far) is on the site, which are eligible to offer special discounts to cardholders.
After purchasing on the site, buyers or their gift recipient will receive a physical card in the mail. Please allow 3-5 business days for processing and 5-10 business days for delivery of the Keep It QC Visa Gift Card.
The Quad Cities Chamber introduced its new Keep It QC debit card Thursday.
Once activated, gift cards are multi-use (available to use more than once at a specific business) and can be used everywhere around the Quad-Cities where Visa debit cards are accepted — except gas pumps, ATMs, cash access and for recurring payments. They can be used at the merchant’s website, as long as they accept debit cards, Platt said.
Bulk purchases (25 cards minimum) with reduced handling fees also are available. Companies can use it for employee rewards, holiday or anniversary gifts, customer appreciation, survey incentives, contests and anything they might have used a gift card for.
“The past year has challenged many of our businesses and communities across the region in unprecedented ways, which is why it’s more important than ever to drive local spending to them,” said chamber president/CEO Paul Rumler. “Doing so helps them recover faster and keep our region vibrant for the future.”
Staying true to the Keep It QC goal to keep dollars local, the chamber worked with Quad Cities-based technology company, TapOnIt, for development.
To buy gift cards directly or to become a participating merchant, visit https://thecommunitygiftcard.com/keepitqc. For more information about bulk gift card purchases (25 cards or more) and the program in general, visit KeepItQC.com. Once the amount on each card is spent, they are not re-loadable, Platt said.
The premise behind Keep It QC is to bring awareness to the importance of supporting and buying locally because of the tangible economic benefits for our region. This includes revenue growth, more tax funding to support infrastructure and quality-of-place projects, support and creation of jobs and increased regional attractiveness for companies looking to expand or re-locate to our area.
