Iowa City Downtown District Debuting New Downtown Specific Gift Cards Later this Month

There is going to be a new Iowa City downtown specific gift card coming out in a few weeks.

The big difference between this card and previous ones targeting downtown shopping? The Iowa City Downtown District has finally closed the loop, making sure that it can only be used at downtown businesses.

Nancy Bird, executive director of the Iowa City Downtown District (ICDD), says that launching the downtown-only gift card on Aug. 23 is an exciting step for the district in fostering new business that can be kept downtown.

"When we got started as a downtown district, having a gift card was one of our first goals," Bird said. 

Bird said the gift card being limited to downtown will ensure that money is spent at downtown businesses, maximizing the effectiveness of the card initiative and making its benefits easier to track.

She said this works well with the overall goal of the ICDD.

"We want to make sure that we are doing everything possible to increase sales for these businesses and entities (in the district) and make sure that they remain viable," Bird said.

Here are some more information about the card from the Iowa City Downtown District website:

The program will be administered by StoreFinancial, an international payment systems processor based in Overland Park, Kansas. StoreFinancial offers a comprehensive turnkey gift card program to Downtown Districts around the world.  

• Stored-value cards are activated at the time of purchase with a limited, pre-determined dollar amount.

• Processed as a credit card transaction on POS equipment, no changes needed
• All funds are stored on the card and are deducted with each approved purchase
• Balance information printed on every purchase receipt and can be tracked on the back of the card; a toll free 800-number is also available for balance inquiries
• Private label so that card usage is restricted to the merchants in the center