Microsoft Bing is launching a test program in Seattle this week that aims to overcome one of the challenges of daily deals programs — eliminating the requirement to show a coupon or voucher, and instead connecting the deal directly to a user’s credit card.
The pilot program, involving the company’s Bing Offers deals site, is part of a broader push to adopt the approach across the industry.
Microsoft is taking part a new industry group, the CardLinx Association, that will attempt to create standards for connecting daily deals from a variety of services directly to user’s credit cards. They say the goal is to eliminate the “friction” caused by requiring users to show or print off a coupon when redeeming a daily deal.
Other participants in the industry group include Bank of America, Discover, Facebook, LivingSocial, MasterCard and a variety of payments companies.
Microsoft has more details on the “Bing Offers Card-Linked” pilot program in Seattle in this blog post.
The company explains, “When you use your card to make a qualified purchase at participating local business, just as you normally would at a retail store or a restaurant, you are immediately notified about your savings and you will receive the discounts directly on your card statement.”
