The Hereford Gift Card has joined a range of national gift cards on allpay’s reward and recognition platform. HR leaders at the company say the card has been hugely popular, with staff from across the business issuing the local gift card as a reward.
Herefordshire based payments specialist allpay has introduced their city’s local gift card as a permanent employee reward option after positive employee feedback.
The 300 strong allpay team can now choose the Hereford Gift Card as a reward in exchange for points within the company’s reward and recognition platform, which is available for staff year-round.
Managers at allpay are given a virtual reward pot of money based on how many people they have working in their team. Employees earn points for going above and beyond, demonstrating allpay values of agility, collaboration, curiosity and integrity, with each point representing £1 in value.
The introduction of the Hereford Gift Card by allpay reflects the fintech’s desire to offer choice in their rewards and incentives, whilst giving staff the opportunity to support local businesses.
Nicola Everett is Head of People at allpay and said: “Our main objective is offering employees choice and flexibility in their benefits package. With a diverse workforce, we have found that different people want different things at different points in their lives, so it’s vital that we provide a range of options for staff in their rewards and incentives.
“Around two years ago, we added the Hereford Gift Card, which is part of the Town & City Gift Card concept, to the platform because we wanted to add local options to sit alongside the national gift cards already available. Having launched as a pilot to see what the take up from employees would be, we’ve been shocked by just how much employees value the Hereford Gift Card as a reward. There has been amazing feedback from staff and they’re continuing to choose it as a reward among the many options they have.
“allpay’s Founder and Entrepreneur, Tony Killeen, is passionate about supporting the local community. As a major employer in the area, supporting local through initiatives like the Hereford Gift Card provides a tangible investment to the local economy, because the cards have to be spent in Hereford, and this in turn contributes to local employment opportunities and community vibrancy. Supporting the Hereford Gift Card gives us the opportunity to support our community, investing back into the city where we operate.
“The choice on offer through the Hereford Gift Card is strong, with over 120 businesses including national brands and independent businesses. The fact that the card is supporting a wide variety of businesses from different sectors, including retail, hospitality, health & beauty, leisure and attractions, is great because it gives employees our choice of all those different sectors too.
“We also use the Hereford Gift Card within some of our team events, such as at a recent Client Services Team award ceremony. And the team enjoys using the Hereford Gift Card for nights out in local independent businesses, like The Beefy Boys restaurant.
“Ordering the Hereford Gift Card from Town & City Gift Cards is very easy, we simply place a bulk order through the corporate site as needed. Feedback about the rewards and recognition options we offer is paramount, and the figures speak for themselves. Staff clearly like the card because they keep on spending their points on it. This shows us what a valued choice the Hereford Gift Card is, and how much staff value supporting local businesses and their city through the card.”
The Hereford Gift Card is part of the award winning Town & City Gift Card concept from Miconex.
Colin Munro is the Managing Director of Miconex: “It’s fantastic to see a large organisation like allpay successfully trialling their local Town & City Gift Card for their rewards and incentives, and it being so positively received by employees. In our 2023 research, over 98% of people said they’re keen to support local and 94% of organisations said supporting local was important when planning rewards/incentives. Adding a local gift card option to your reward and recognition platform is a way for organisations to make a tangible, positive impact on the local economy, by making it easy for staff to shop local.”
The Hereford Gift Card is driven by Hereford Business Improvement District. Mike Truelove, Chief Executive of Hereford BID said: “In Hereford, the Hereford Gift Card can be spent with around 125 local businesses, including the big brands people know like Cosy Club, M&S, New Look, Odeon and Wagamama, and the independent businesses they love like The Beefy Boys, Hereford Beer House, The Green Dragon Hotel and more. We’re proud that allpay sees the value of adding our local gift card as a choice for staff on a permanent basis.”