Bernal Bucks Rewards at my Business

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What are Bernal Bucks?

Bernal Bucks is a program that rewards customers for making the local choice when they spend their money. Think of them as frequent buyer miles for Bernal. People have choices, their business cannot be taken as granted. Bernal Bucks Rewards a shared, merchant-funded program for business in the Bernal Height neighborhood. Customers earn Bernal Bucks by using our special Visa Debit card at participating businesses. The program also helps funding local causes.

How can my business participate in Bernal Bucks?

If your business is located in Bernal Heights, you can participate. Customers who pay with the Bernal Bucks Rewards Card at your business, would earn Bernal Bucks at your business. You agree to have the customers redeem Bernal Bucks Rewards at your business. Please contact us for more information and a meeting.

How much does it cost to participate in Bernal Bucks?

No fees. The program does not charge your business for joining or participating.
Your commitment is to your customers as you reward them for their loyal business.
Since the program is based on Debit card transactions, you may experience savings in transaction cost, compared to credit card transactions.

How your customers earn Bernal Bucks with the Visa Debit card

What is the Bernal Bucks Reward Card?

It is a nice-looking VISA Debit card, issued by Self-Help Federal Credit Union. People will receive their card after applying for it through this website.

Do I need to have special equipment?

If your business accepts VISA cards, you are set for the Bernal Bucks Rewards Card.
If you don’t accept card payments, please contact us. We may then set you up with a different model.

What if the card authorization is rejected?

As with any Debit card, they money is deducted directly from the cardholder’s account. A lack of sufficient funds could be a reason for a rejected authorization. If your business accepts card payment , you and your staff are probably familiar with handling such situations politely.

Does my business need to have an account with the Self-Help Federal Credit Union?

To participate in this program, you don’t need to make any changes with your bank accounts or your merchant service providers. That said, Self-Help Federal Credit Union is a fine local alternative to big national banks with good rates and attention for small businesses.

How many Bernal Bucks do my customers earn when shopping with me?

Each time customers pay with a Bernal Bucks Card at your business, they earn 5% of the total amount in Bernal Bucks from you. For example, after each $2000 spent, they will have earned 100 Bernal Bucks.
You receive the full pay amount; no discount at the time of purchase! The customers will come back at later time to redeem accumulated Bernal Bucks.

How my customers redeem their Bernal Bucks Rewards

What do my customers get for Bernal Bucks? What are they worth?

Customers can use Bernal Bucks Rewards to pay for goods and services at participating businesses, up to 50% of the dollar amount (not including tax and tips). Example: when they buy something for $60, they can pay with 30 Bernal Bucks and $30 US Dollars. Note that you are not giving cash back. The rewards (your goods and services) typically are worth more to your customers than they have cost you.

What happens when Bernal Bucks Rewards are redeemed?

Customers will choose on this website (“Redeem Rewards”) where they want to redeem Bernal Bucks. You choose the desired amount and print a voucher for your business (like printing a boarding pass) in denominations of 10 Bernal Bucks. The account of your business will be credited with the Bernal Bucks redeemed; they are available to be awarded to your customers again
The voucher in the customer’s wallet is a reminder to stop by your business where they use it to pay for up to 50% of the purchase.

How do I know a rewards voucher is genuine?

The Bernal Bucks program has built-in security measures that allow you to easily confirm the validity of the rewards vouchers. The Merchant Guide for Bernal Bucks has more details about the security features.

Do I give change for Bernal Bucks Rewards?

No. While the rewards voucher come in denominations of 10 Bernal Bucks, the businesses do not give change for them. (They are a voluntary reward provided by your business, not a paid-for gift certificate.)
Let’s say the customer wants to buy something for $30 and brings 20 Bernal Bucks. She would need to pay $15 (50%) in dollars. She would be better off using just 10 Bernal Bucks and pay $20 in dollars, keeping the other 10 Bernal Bucks for her next visit. Or, she decides to buy something worth $40, using all 20 Bernal Bucks.

How do I check my balance and activity with Bernal Bucks?

On this website, you can check a current summary of how many Bernal Bucks have been earned at your business, and how many Bernal Bucks Rewards have been redeemed at your business. You can also see the transaction history. Please allow one or two business days for the Bernal Bucks to show up after the transaction.

Could my business end up redeeming more rewards than it awarded?

Every participating business agrees to accept at least as many Bernal Bucks as it has awarded previously when customers paid with the Bernal Bucks card. If you want to accept more, is up to you.
The Bernal Bucks program provides you with customer-friendly controls for limiting how many Bernal Bucks Rewards you are willing to let customers redeem. Since you can spend Bernal Bucks (at other participating businesses), you may be interested in customers coming with more Bernal Bucks to your business.

How does Bernal Bucks help funding local causes?

Customers with Bernal Bucks can use the “Make a Gift” feature to transfer Bernal Bucks to organizations or people. For selected non-profit organizations in Bernal Heights, they can elect to have all or half of their earned Bernal Bucks automatically donated.

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