LANGLEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Sept. 20, 2012) - First West Credit Union has teamed up with RewardStream to launch a new member referral program in the Envision Financial and Valley First regions. Aptly named the Referral Perks program, this innovative program is designed to make it easy and rewarding for members of Envision Financial and Valley First to refer their family and friends to the credit union.
Through the program, both the referrer and referee receive a $50 prepaid MasterCard® for every successful referral and new chequing account opening, up to $250 per year. Demonstrating First West's philosophy of 'work big, work local', the Referral Perks program is also enabling the organization to tailor to the unique needs of its regional brands. For example, in the Valley First region, when a successful referral has been completed, both the referrer and referee have the option of choosing the $50 MasterCard or a $50 donation to Feed the Valley, Valley First's signature community cause, which aims to alleviate hunger throughout the Okanagan, Similkameen and Thompson regions of British Columbia.
"We are really pleased to partner with First West Credit Union to deliver their new Referral Perks program," says Peter Oxley, CEO, RewardStream. "Out of all the purchase categories that we have researched, the choice of a financial institution is the most impacted by a referral. Valley First and Envision Financial are taking an innovative and simple approach to thank their loyal members for spreading the word about their great experience."
"Our brand promise is to keep it simple for our Envision Financial and Valley First members, whether it's through our product offerings or in the service we provide," shares Bryan Mavrow, senior vice-president, Marketing at First West Credit Union. "We recognize that our members lead very busy lives and we want to be able to provide them with products and services that make banking simple for them. This Referral Perks program, along with our new no-fee, Simply Free Account™, as well as the online banking enhancements and mobile apps we've recently added to our product offerings do just that."
Mavrow adds, "The online referral platform through RewardStream is very user-friendly and makes it straightforward for our members to make referrals - whether in-person, via email or even through their social media networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. It just takes a couple of clicks for a member to refer someone they know, or they can just tell them about it in a conversation. Plus, the program is fully-automated and requires no ongoing administration or paperwork for our employees - it truly exemplifies what it means to keep it simple, both for our members and our team."
For more information about the Referral Perks program visit www.envisionfinancial.ca/refer or www.valleyfirst.com/refer.
About RewardStream
RewardStream is a leading provider of recommendation marketing, social loyalty, traditional loyalty and engagement solutions that help brands and companies build deeper - and more profitable - long term relationships with their customers. Since 1999 RewardStream has worked with clients in a myriad of industries including financial services, telecommunications, e-tail/retail, and CPG, with programs in dozens of languages and countries worldwide. For more information on RewardStream, visit www.rewardstream.com.
About First West Credit Union
First West Credit Union offers members the financial strength, comprehensive product selection and extended branch network of a large financial institution while maintaining local brand identities and a unique grassroots approach to service. Led by Launi Skinner, First West is British Columbia's third-largest credit union with $6.6 billion in assets under administration, more than 169,000 members and close to 1,400 employees. It operates 37 branches throughout the province under the Envision Financial and Valley First brands. For more information on First West Credit Union, visit www.firstwestcu.ca or follow on Twitter at @firstwestcu.