Visa U.S.A. has created a rewards program for customers of 25 retail chains and direct-marketing merchants.
Visa Rewards for Your Home is the San Francisco-based association's fourth program in two years under the Visa Rewards marketing umbrella.
The program awards points on the basis of purchases through June 30. The points are redeemable for savings certificates.
Visa cardholders earn 10% of their credit card or check card purchases in Visa Rewards credits. Additionally, if they use their cards at any of eight merchant partners, cardholders will earn rewards credits equal to 20% of their card purchases.
The eight partners are Bed Bath and Beyond, Damark International, Omaha Steaks, Payless Cashways Inc., Service Merchandise, Sharper Image, Staples, and Wallpapers To Go.
At the end of the promotion, Visa gold and business cardholders will receive an additional 10% increase in total accrued credits for purchases made on those cards.
Visa is supporting the promotion with a multimillion-dollar radio and print advertising campaign.
Cardholders receive 10 more rewards credits if they use a mail-in form supplied by their bank to redeem savings certificates, rather than requesting them via a toll-free phone number.
The certificates are good for discounts and savings at 24 of the participating partners. Each cardholder requesting the certificates will also receive one Bed Bath and Beyond coupon, good for only that store.
Cardholders can request savings certificates from July 22 through Sept. 20.
The certificates can be used from Aug. 15 through Nov. 30 for discounts at participating merchants. The discounts range from $5 at Bed Bath and Beyond on a $15 purchase to $100 off a $500 purchase at Spring Crest Drapery Centers.
Additionally, cardholders can use the savings certificates toward the "Visa Gold Presents Elton John's Gold" compact disc.
Visa offers different rewards programs throughout the year. In the fourth quarter, for example, Visa said, it processed more than one billion transactions and fulfilled 882,000 rewards packages in its Visa Rewards for Vacation Travel promotion.
