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In a first among group-buying websites, Wowcher is hoping to persuade its users to help spread its marketing emails among their friends via social media with the offer of points that can then be used to buy discounted restaurants, hotels, activities and holiday deals.
Users will earn 20 points just for opening up one of its emails - as long as the user downloads all the pictures. They get 40 points for going a stage further and viewing a deal featured in the email.
Small print: Wowcher has launched a loyalty scheme for customers, allowing them to earn credits by opening emails and sharing links on Facebook.If they share a deal on Facebook, or tweet it to their followers, they get 800 points.
Wowcher, which is owned by dmg media, the parent group of This is Money and Mail Online, will also give 2,000 credits to anyone who buys a deal as a gift for a friend.
The points build up and once a user has 5,000 of them, they can begin to exchange them for 'Wowcher Wallet Credits' that can then be used to buy items on the site.
Wowcher is one of the biggest group buying deals websites, going head-to-head with US giant Groupon and rival Living Social.
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Under the new scheme, there are five levels of points – pink, bronze, silver, gold and platinum – with the number of credtis available rising as users move up the ranks.
Customers have to earn 5,000 points – or bronze level – before they can claim the credits. At this level, you get 2p worth of Wowcher Wallet credits for every 1200 points. So 5,000 points is worth £1 that can be spent on Wowcher.
To reach silver you need 17,000 points and the rate of redemption rises to 3 per cent. So 3p for every 100 points, or £5.10 worth of Wowcher Wallet credits.
And for gold you need 50,000 points and the redemption level is 4.5 per cent, so 4.5p for 100 points equates to £22.50.
To reach platinum customers need 150,000 points – where they can exchange them for a rate of 6.5 per cent. Therefore 6.5p for every 100 – and 150,000 points would be worth £97.50.
Deal of the day: Group buying websites, like Groupon, Living Social and Wowcher, offer discounts and deals on a daily basis to subscribers. Group buying websites: What you need to knowGROUP BUYING: HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND GET A GOOD DEAL1. Before you buy a deal, activity or service check the companies website to see if you are getting value for money. For example, is the manicure offer really 80 per cent cheaper than the same service offered by the company directly.
2. Read reviews online. Google the name of the company + 'reviews' and see what previous customers think.
3. If you're booking a treatment or activity call the company before you buy a voucher and check that they have an appointment.
4. Once you've purchased your voucher call and book the service immediately, don't wait as they may get booked up.
5. If you have any problems contact the group buying website as quickly as you can to request a refund.
Websites like Wowcher, Groupon, Living Social and Wahanda send out daily emails with offers on restaurants, hotels, activities, beauty and holiday deals – often claiming up to a 80 per cent discount off the retail price.
The websites typically offer discounts on luxury experiences, activities and trips.
Buyers should watch out for the returns policy - Group buying websites can often wriggle out of paying a cash refund after a seven day period has passed.
This is because of a loophole in consumer law, as revealed by This is Money last year, which allows websites to offer 'credit refunds' rather than cash once a cooling-off period has lapsed.
Under current law, the seven day cooling-off period begins when a customer receives their voucher, often via email, and this means that the time has often passed before the deal is used or activity is booked.
Outside of this time it is up to the individual refund policy of the company. The websites say after this time they deal with the individual customers on a case-by-case basis - but the rule is that they don't have to give cash refunds.