DES MOINES, Iowa — More credit unions have found the ATIRAgift card their most promising avenue for offering their members options for gift cards as this year's December holidays draw closer, The Members Group has announced.
The credit unions include: 1st Community CU (Sparta, Wis.); Beacon Credit Union (Wabash, Ind.); First Financial CU (Albuquerque, N.M.); Quaker Oats CU (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Topeka City Employees CU (Topeka, Kan.); and, Tradesmen Community CU (Des Moines, Iowa).
During the past few months other credit unions such as Capitol View (Des Moines, Iowa); Catholic CU (Yakima, Wash.); Financial Plus CU (Des Moines, Iowa); Fort Dodge Family CU (Fort Dodge, Iowa); and, Mid-Minnesota FCU (Brainerd, Minn.) have also chosen ATIRAgift for its innovation and flexibility, the CUSO said.
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"As we get ready for our third holiday season offering ATIRAgift cards, we continue to see gift cards, and really the entire family of prepaid products, as a great addition to any credit union," said Jeff Falk, director of product development for TMG. "Consumers are driving the demand and the success of this product. They understand the flexibility and usability of a gift card that can be accepted anywhere a Visa debit card is accepted. They like that it makes gift giving simple because the card isn't tied to a specific retail shop. Plus, they like the fact they can walk into their credit union and within a few minutes complete the transaction with someone they trust."
TMG reported that during last year's holiday season between October 2006 and January 2007, more than 30,000 ATIRAgift cards were sold by 37 credit unions across the United States. Falk added that a majority of the cards were sold the two weeks before the Christmas holiday, and sales were driven by walk-in traffic, as well as businesses looking to move away from traditional paper gift certificates and cash bonuses.
These new ATIRAgift clients were originally contacted with a marketing campaign that declared "Only the greeting card companies will sell more cards" and "The only person busier than you hires elves to handle the overflow" to demonstrate this is a great time for credit unions to launch a gift card program.
"We have steadily seen the overall numbers of the gift card program grow, not just during the holidays," he said. "Obviously the very nature of the holiday season increases the opportunity to sell gift cards, but we are seeing credit unions really make a niche for themselves in the prepaid market all year round."
To help the credit unions launch the program, they will also receive a complimentary CD that includes samples of holiday promotional materials including table tents, posters and statement inserts. The credit unions can select the pieces they need to market the gift cards effectively to their membership.
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